Margielyn Didal
One thing that was motivating Cebuana Margielyn Didal during her stint in the 2018 Asian Games was the negative impression people had about skateboarders.
The 19-year-old Didal from Barangay Lahug in Cebu City thought that if she won the gold, people would start respecting the sport she loved and the entire skateboarding community.
Didal did win the gold in the women’s street event of the quadrennial meet in Palembang, Indonesia, last August 29 and now she hopes this is enough to silence the sport’s critics.
“I badly wanted to win the gold medal in the Asian Games because I wanted to become the voice of thousands of Filipino skaters,” she said, after arriving to a hero’s welcome in Lahug yesterday afternoon. “I hope that my gold medal win will change [the public’s] impression and view on skateboarding.”
Didal enumerated how the sport and its followers have been neglected throughout the years, memories that she actually used as motivation every time she competed in tournaments abroad.
“I still remember that the annual Skateboarding Day, I had several friends who were apprehended by traffic enforcers even though they had the permit to conduct the activity. In fact, it was an annual event,” Didal recalled.
Worst enemies
She said the victory, aside from giving the Philippines one of four gold medals in the meet, meant a lot because now she can be the sport’s ambassador.
She believes she can now defend the image of skateboarders with her achievements.
“I want to become their voice because we are always being described negatively,” she said.
During the hero’s welcome prepared by Barangay Lahug yesterday, Didal, who was game enough to do some of her stunts, have some pictures taken with fans, and sign autographs, couldn’t help but remember the moment she won the event against some of the best skateboarders in Asia.
“It was a very proud moment for me because I can finally freely and proudly bring a skateboard anywhere without being apprehended by security guards and traffic enforcers and be chased away,” she said, adding, “I even noticed that a lot of Citom enforcers during the caravan that they all looked up to me and they even stopped the traffic to let our convoy pass.
It wasn’t like before when we were their worst enemies on the streets.”
Now that Didal has carried the sport of skateboarding to a higher level, the Cebuano skateboarding community can now expect more exposure for the sport in the coming years.
In fact, Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña reiterated the plan to build a world-class skate park at the South Road Properties with Didal’s help.
And for those still having doubts about the sport, Didal shared this story which she hopes can motivate others to come out and skate.
“I really want to skate. I was determined but I did not expect to reach this level and represent the country.
Before, everyone was against my love for skateboarding because all they saw were the negative sides of it.
But there are a lot of professionals who skate.
My mom was very worried because I am prone to accident.
My father was also against it because he believed skateboarding was for men only.
Even my teachers, they always scolded and discouraged me that skateboarding will not make any good for me, but it did not stop me from loving skateboarding.”
And now she is a world-class skateboarder with an Asian Games gold medal to show.
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