Skateboarder Margielyn Didal joins Time's most influential teens
MANILA, Philippines — Time magazine recognized Filipina skateboard sensation Margielyn Didal as one of the 25 most influential teens for 2018.
Nineteen-year-old Didal, who hails from Cebu City, brought home the gold medal in the women's skateboarding competition at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
Speaking to Time, Didal admitted that her parents did not initially support her as skating was not considered a "girly thing." Following her victory, the Cebuana skateboarder said she has her parents' "100 percent" support.
Didal, one of five siblings, started joining competitive events without her own skateboard, the report read.
"We didn't even have a street skating park where I grew up," Didal told Time.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has pledged to build a skate park in the city after Didal's accomplishment in the Asian Games.
Didal is looking forward to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where skateboarding will be included as an official event for the first time.
"It's going to be the big goal in my life to get that gold medal," she told Time.
Time's 25 most influential teens list was based on "global impact through social media and overall ability to drive news."
Other teenagers who made the list are "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown, K-pop group NCT Dream, survivors of the Parkland school shooting, Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim, "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" lead actress Kiernan Shipka and "The Kissing Booth" protagonist Joey King. — Patricia Lourdes Viray
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