Margielyn Didal has a lot to be thankful for. The 19-year-old skateboarder, who won gold at the Asian Games and also gunning for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is the sole Filipina in Time‘s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018 list. She joins the ranks of Millie Bobby Brown, Billie Eilish, the student activisits of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and many more.
Time said that Margielyn’s Asian Games win made her “a national hero” in the Philippines. It’s a bold statement, but it’s also worth noting that she started out from skating in her humble hometown in Visayas to competing and winning awards internationally since she was 14. She accomplished all this despite her family not supporting her at first “because skating wasn’t seen as a ‘girly thing.'”
Margielyn’s win and overseas recognition is also paving the way for people to pursue the sport, including young girls who are discouraged by society. Especially now that the Olympics are including skateboarding as an athletic event. “I want to build a new generation of skaters for the future,” she told Time.
Congratulations, Margielyn!
[Inquirer.net and Time]
Photo courtesy of Margielyn Didal’s Instagram account
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