ICYMI, Pinay skateboarder Margielyn Didal recently bagged seventh place in the finals of the Women's street skateboarding event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. With 7.52 points in total, she ranked number 17 in the world.
Like us, you probably can't get enough of Margielyn's all-around cheerful attitude! I mean, come on, have you seen her smile yet? It's so adorable! If you wanna know more about this Pinay who has captured the hearts of basically everyone, keep reading for a quick rundown of facts about Margielyn.
10 facts and trivia about professional street skateboarder Margielyn Didal:
- Margielyn was born on April 19, 1999 in Cebu City, Philippines. She is 22 years old and her zodiac sign is Aries!
- She comes from a family of seven. Her father, Lito Didal, is a carpenter and her mother, Juliana Didal, is a street vendor. Margielyn is also the breadwinner of her family.
- Her interest for the sport all began when she was around 12 twelve years old. Back then, she was helping her mom sell tempura and kwek-kwek in front of a church in Lahug (a neighborhood in Cebu). She saw a bunch of teenagers skating for the first time, got curious, and said she wanted to give it a try.
- After finishing Grade Seven, she stopped school to pursue skateboarding training. In an episode of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics' video series entitled By Her Rules, Margielyn said, "When I [knew] that I could earn [even a small amount of money], the key to [helping my parents was skating]. I didn't have to stop studying, but I stopped because I wanted to help my parents earn some money and to put my family in a better place."
- Margielyn's coach is skateboarder, filmmaker, and photographer Dani Bautista.
- She and her girlfriend, Jozel Manzanares, have been together for over six years now.
- Aside from ranking seventh place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Margielyn also won a gold medal at the 2018 Southeast Asian Games and two gold medals at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. Her win from the 2018 Southeast Asian Games even gave her the opportunity to have their family home in Cebu renovated.
- At 19, she became a part of TIME magazine's 25 Most Influential Teens Of 2018.
- She has also joined major international competitions like the World Skate Championships, X Games, WS Street League Skateboarding World Tour, and Dew Tour.
- Margielyn is very active on social media! You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok for a sneak peek into her life and all things skateboarding. One of her most popular videos on TikTok is with Brazilian skateboarder and silver medalist Rayssa Leal.
@margiedidal @jrayssaleal Congrats on getting Silver in the first Olympic
? original sound - Jean-Victor
Way to go, Margielyn! Your story is an inspiration to everyone that you should keep on doing what you love. Good vibes all the way!
Sources: Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, By Her Rules
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