For Olympic Skateboarder Margielyn Didal, Power Comes From Comfort

Margielyn (Margie) Didal is a 21-year-old street skater from the Philippines. She started skating at just 12 years old, and recently made her mark on the skating world by winning gold at both the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, and finishing in third place at the Tampa Women's Open in early 2020. Now, she's ranked the 14th best women's street skateboarder in the world — and she's heading to the Tokyo Olympics to represent the Philippines. Didal was also recently featured in an episode of By Her Rules, an Olympic channel original series that profiles five woman athletes from five different countries. Here's what makes her feel powerful.

I eat rice. I grew up eating rice at every meal; sometimes plain rice with a little salt or soy sauce was all we had to eat. No rice, no power.

Being able to skate how I want to. Sometimes I think too much or I’m having a bad day and that affects how I skate. Power is being able to block everything out, get in the zone, and skate to my best ability.

I just chill, get a good meal in, and hang out with my family. Spending time with my family and girlfriend power me back up.

“Bisdako” by Cookies. It’s a crazy song with a lot of swear words, but it has a positive message. I listened to this song a lot before my best finish (5th at Street League Los Angeles 2019) and it’s featured in a video about Manny Pacquiao, too.

Manny Pacquiao. He’s an amazing athlete and person and he inspires me a lot. He came from nothing but worked hard and believed in himself. Anyone who skates good, too — seeing good skaters gets me hyped.

I have to feel comfortable. Dickies, soccer jerseys, and loose clothing help me feel powerful when I skate.