OLYMPIC-BOUND skateboarder Margielyn Arda Didal needs to work doubly hard on her tricks if she wants to be competitive for the Tokyo Summer Games barely six weeks away, according to former skateboarding chief Monty Mendigoria.
Skate Pilipinas announced last Saturday that Didal had earned her ticket to Tokyo despite finishing 17th overall with a score of 8.04 points in the women’s street skateboarding semifinals last Friday in the Street World Skate Championships at the Foro Italico Skatepark in Rome, Italy.
“The official announcement of qualified skaters will only be released after the World Championships Finals in Rome, but Skate Pilipinas would like to be the first to announce that our very own Margielyn Didal has earned a slot for the Tokyo Olympics.
Congratulations Margie! Mabuhay ka Margie! #skatepilipinas,” head coach Dani Bautista posted in the group’s Facebook account.
The 30th Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist failed to reach the final eight of the competition after going scoreless in the last four runs of the seven-run semis.
“As I see it the objective is to qualify. To win in Des Moines and in Rome are mere bonuses.
Mahirap ding tumodo baka ma-injure, mapurnada pa. The important thing is to qualify then the real training begins,” said Mendigoria, the national team head when Didal won her gold medal in her 2018 Asian Games debut in Palembang, Indonesia.
But qualifying for Tokyo is one thing, attaining a podium finish is another, according to Mendigoria.
“Margie should work more on her best tricks. What I heard from national coach Dani is that Margie is good in the run section. It’s her thing,” Mondigoria, a former skateboarder, said.
“Madalas siyang naghahabol kasi ‘yong mga scores ng kalaban niya nanggagaling sa best trick section.
