Where does Margielyn Didal get her energy? The Olympian says: ‘Sa kanin!’
Olympic skateboarder Margielyn Didal just keeps winning our hearts over! The Filipina skater has been receiving huge amounts of attention online because of her positive vibes and personality.
In an online interview with CNN Philippines, the first words we hear from the bubbly Didal are: “I mean 24 hours (of) food for sure! They have rice! May sabaw din!”
Didal arrived from Tokyo on July 28 with Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz and spent seven days in quarantine.
Sports host Andre Felix asked coach Daniel Bautista, Didal’s mentor, where he thinks Didal gets her energy and joy. Before the coach could even speak, Didal interrupted, “(Sa) kanin, I think!” and burst into laughter.
Coach Bautista laughed and said, “Ever since I met Margie she’s always been that way and I'm pretty happy she got to show it (to) the world and the Olympics.”
Didal, according to gold medalist Diaz, helped her relax before the weightlifting finals as Didal’s laugh is “contagious.”
“I'm happy that I get to share the personality of ‘Margie’ and I think champ Hidilyn winning that first ever gold medal for the Philippines is really well-deserved. Lahat ng sacrifice niya, dugo, pawis, lahat na… I know she missed her family, she sacrificed pretty much everything … so well-deserved champ! Congrats again and again and di ako magsasawang mag congratulate sayo!”
“Pinoy lang! I think that's how Filipinos are!” Didal said about her friendship with Diaz, which started at the 2018 ASEAN Games.
“I think si Champ sobrang humble din, but also other athletes like our silver medalist from women’s boxing, Nesh (Nesthy Petecio)!”
On July 24, Didal drew attention on Facebook as she posted a picture with the legendary American professional skateboarder Tony Hawk aka “Birdman” Of course, with a hilarious caption.
Felix laughed and asked, “Kilala mo naman si Tony Hawk, right?”
“Sino yun? Joke lang!” Didal laughs. “I know the legendary Tony Hawk! Kilala ko po siya and I’m a big fan!”
Didal shared the story of how that picture came to be. She and her coach were practicing in the skatepark and without their knowledge, the skateboarding legend was watching them.
“Hindi namin alam like that day andun talaga siya so pagkita namin ni coach ‘Ah bahala na yung practice! Punta muna!’ So yun picture na!” Tas’ ginalingan ko na lang sa caption para magmukha akong cool!”
Didal was also seen on Tiktok with 13-year-old Brazillian skateboarder and Olympic silver medalist Brazilian Rayssa Leal.
“Kasi we have the same passion in skateboarding and she’s young and I’m young, not even 20, just kidding! Isip bata kasi ako!” Didal said as she brought her iconic big smile closer to the camera.
The Cebuana skater recalled her daily routine in the Athletes Village. “Just room, dining hall, and then skatepark. That was our daily routine. But you know we have to enjoy every moment especially when you represent your country and raise the Philippine flag. Just enjoy it, enjoy every moment!”
Coach Bautista also looked back on Didal’s preliminary performances and expressed amazement over her tricks, especially the crowd favorite 50-50 grind.
“She didn’t do any of those tricks in practice! She just came out with it and she just went like “Yo, I’m just gonna go all out, this is my time to shine,’ and she did it! She landed it!”
Didal performed her stunts even with a sprained ankle, but Bautista said, “Yeah it was crazy and it was amazing what she did, the performance was amazing and we were wilding out and the crowd… Everyone loved it!”
When asked how she feels about being loved by fans all over the world for her charming personality, Didal laughed and said, “I don’t know! I'm just being me, me Margie, you know mga kalokohan! I don't know what to feel… I just enjoy my life.”
The skater was also invited to the Street League Skateboarding for more contests, Coach Bautista said, and has now entered into a partnership with RedBull to start a program conditioning her whole body strength to prepare for more Olympic qualifiers.
Didal thanked all her fans and sponsors, especially fellow Filipinos, and gave special mention to her family, friends, and her girlfriend.
The LGBTQ+ community might stan her even more for this one.
Banner photo from Olympic.com on Twitter