MANILA, Philippines – Margielyn Didal advanced to the semifinal round of the Street Skateboarding World Championships in Rome, Italy on Thursday to stay on the hunt for an outright Tokyo Olympics slot.
The 22-year-old Didal made up for a lethargic first run of 8.28 points by coming through with a 19.00 in her second and final qualifying attempt to finish 17th out of the 27 skateboarders who made the semifinal cut.
The Asian and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and 26 others will join the Top 5 in the world including World No. 1 Pamela Rosa of Brazil in tomorrow’s semis where they will battle for eight seats in the finals on Monday.
The eventual top three will claim automatic berths to the Summer Games slated July 23 to August 8.
If she couldn’t make it that far, the proud Cebuana, whose campaign is being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), could still qualify if she finishes in the top 16 world rankings.
Currently, Didal has climbed from No. 14 to No. 13 after a semifinal finish in the Dew Tour in Des Moines, Iowa last month.
Only 20 slots are at stake in Tokyo — the top three in Rome, a slot to Japan as host and the top 16 in the world.