Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 5) – Filipino skateboarding sensation Margie Didal made history as one of the first athletes to participate in the inaugural Olympic skateboarding competitions in Tokyo, Japan in July, according to a local sports body.
The 22-year-old Cebuano skateboarding phenom virtually earned her spot in the Tokyo Olympics after she ranked 13th in the world rankings, national federation Skate Pilipinas said in its social media post on Saturday.
The national sports association said Didal’s qualification to the Olympic Games will be formalized when international governing body World Skate announces the list of skateboarders who clinched their ticket to Tokyo after the Street Skateboarding World Championships 2021 in Rome, Italy.
According to World Skate, the Top 16 skateboarders in the world rankings will advance to the Tokyo Olympics.
Didal finished 17th out of 32 competitors in the worlds tilt semifinals on Friday night (Philippine time) with 8.04 points. She got the 5th best score among 11 participants in her semifinal heat.
She failed to advance in the tournament’s final round, scheduled on Sunday, where the three best performing skateboarders will earn direct slots to Tokyo. The eight best performing skateboarders in the semifinals, topped by 13-year-old Brazilian wunderkind Rayssa Leal, will compete in the finals.
Once her qualification is formalized, Didal will be the 10th Filipino athlete who will play in the Tokyo Olympics, slated from July 23 to Aug.8. She will join pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, rower Cris Nievarez, and boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Carlo Paalam, and Nesthy Petecio.
