Skateboarding Asian Games gold medalist Margielyn Didal continues to receive blessings in the form of both rewards and accolades months after her moment of glory in Jakarta.
The 19-year-old gold medalist in October 2018 was awarded a house and lot from the National Housing Authority Region 6 as reward for her sterling performance in the 2018 Asian Games.
Philippine Sports Committee chair Butch Ramirez, who helped in the grant to Didal, in an interview with media said that she currently has no house of their own.
She previously received a total of P6 million in cash rewards from both government agencies and private corporations. She said in interviews that she would be giving the earnings to her mother.
Didal’s success has also won her a shoutout from the British Embassy in Manila, who commemorated the start of her international career.
Margielyn Didal’s first ever visit to the UK was for the Street League Skateboarding. From skateboarding for fun in 2012, she entered her first international competition in 🇬🇧 in May 2018. Last September, she won a gold medal for the 🇵🇠in the Asian Games.#UKPHFriendshipDay2018 pic.twitter.com/GES5sJPMgG
— British Embassy Manila 🇬🇧 (@ukinphilippines) October 18, 2018
Her pre-Asiad rise to success has also been recreated in an episode of “Maaalala Mo Kaya,” ABS-CBN’s long-running drama anthology.
#MMKRecap: Skateboard
Link: https://t.co/eJoYaSqqxw@ElisseJoson
— McLisseians Official (@ofcmclisseians) October 16, 2018
Didal, born to a carpenter father and a vendor mother, recounted after her Asian Games stint how she grew up being chased away and discriminated against just for being a skateboarder.
The support of private foundations and the country’s sports commissioners helped her compete in international events and train for the 2018 Asiad.
In an interview, she wished for skateboarding to be given more attention so that the stigma against skateboarders disappear.
Her wish appears to have been granted. The mayors of Cainta, Rizal and her home town Cebu have expressed their interest in building city-sponsored skateparks in the months after her gold medal finish.
She is currently eyeing to represent the Philippines in the first-ever Olympic skateboarding event in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
