Margielyn Didal sure is making us proud. After winning a gold medal in the skateboarding tournament of the 2018 Asian Games, the 19 year old Cebuana made it to TIME magazine’s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018.
She joins other noted teenagers like Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown, A Wrinkle in Time‘s Storm Reid, the rapper Bhad Bhabie, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s Kiernan Shipka. Other athletes made it to the list, like snowboarder Chloe Kim and football player Kylian Mbappe.
According to TIME, “This summer, the 19 year old from Cebu City, Philippines, won the gold medal in women’s street skateboarding competition at the Asian Games—and became a national hero in the process.”
It also details Didal’s history with skateboarding, when her parents disapproved of it because it wasn’t seen as girly. Now, her family and her girlfriend support her, and Cebu’s mayor is set to build a skatepark in her honor.
Didal is aiming to get a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where skateboarding will be included as an athletic event for the first time.
Congratulations, Margielyn!
