Didal sure to go to Tokyo

World Skate confirmed that Margielyn Didal has qualified in the skateboarding street event at the Olympics, making her the 10^th Filipino to earn slots to Tokyo.

Didal earned a slot to the Olympics after getting ranked No. 13 by World Skate, the world governing body for skateboarding and roller sports.

The top 16 in the world rankings automatically earn slots to the Olympics, along with the athletes who topped the qualifiers earlier staged in the US and Italy. A total 80 athletes—20 each in men and women street and park— are competing in skateboarding which is making a debut in Tokyo.

“I believe she could win the gold,” Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said.

The 22-year-old Cebuana, who won gold in the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games and 2019 Southeast Asian Games, finished 17^th out of 32 competitors in the semifinals of the Street Skateboarding World Championships 2021 in Rome, Italy.

Brazilians Pamela Rosa and Rayssa Leal finished 1-2 and Japanese Aori Nishimura was third in the rankings.

“We are proud of her achievements. It’s the first time for skateboarding in the Olympics,” chef de mission to the Tokyo Olympics Mariano Araneta said. “She won the gold in the 2018 Asian Games and 2019 SEA Games. Hopefully, she’ll do her best in the Olympics.”

US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Juvic Pagunsan already bagged slots to Tokyo but the official announcement of their qualification is expected to be made on June 23.

Eight karate athletes are fighting for Olympic berths in a Paris qualifier, while the country will have at least one universality representative in swimming. Filipino athletes in athletics are also seeking qualification.