PH skater Margielyn Didal trains in the new skatepark in Cebu. | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/RED BULL (file photo)
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Cebuana skateboarding sensation, Margielyn Didal, is set to compete tomorrow, July 26, in the inaugural women’s skateboarding competition in the Tokyo Olympics at the Ariake Park in Tokyo, Japan.
Didal, the pride of Barangay Lahug, this City will face familiar skateboarders, whom she met during the Street Skateboarding World Championships in Rome, Italy last month where she earned her slot to the Olympics.
It will be the first time that the Olympics will feature the skateboarding competition in its history.
The 22-year-old Didal, the 2018 Asian Games gold medalist, will be competing in the women’s street skateboarding category.
For those, who are not familiar with the street skateboarding mechanics, the participants will need to execute tricks cleanly on the ramps, rails, and stairs that emulate an actual street or park.
They need to execute the tricks cleanly to accumulate points during their respective runs. Their total points after the heats will determine if they have reached the finals or not.
Each participants have four heats or four rounds to complete.
The top bets in the women’s street skateboarding competition are the Brazilan trio of Pamela Rosa, Raysa Leal, and Leticia Bufoni who performed impressively in Rome and in the 2021 Dew Tour in Des Moines in Iowa, United States.
Didal, during the world championships in Rome, finished 17th overall in the women’s semifinals. Despite placing 17th, Didal accumulated enough points to maintain her rank as the world’s top 13 skater, which was enough to make her qualify for the Olympics.
On Sunday, Yuto Horigome of Japan won the first Olympic gold medal in skateboarding after he dominated the men’s street skateboarding competition.
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