Now that Margielyn Arda Didal has won a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games, she no longer has to worry about being chased by the police while skateboarding in the streets of Cebu City.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña promised to build a skating park for aspiring athletes to follow in Didal's footsteps.
In a Facebook post, Osmeña congratulated the 19-year-old Cebuana for her performance in the Games.
“Margielyn Didal of Lahug just won Gold in the (20)18 Asian Games in Indonesia. She also represented Cebu in the UK last May where she was the only competitor from Asia. Congratulations Margielyn!” he said.
“Because the awareness raised by people like you, Cebu City will be building a skate park in the SRP. My sister is personally donating P5M to your cause.”
Didal previously lamented that most skateboarders have been subjected to discrimination, as they are considered a nuisance when they skate along the roads or sidewalks.
“Nag-ii-skate kami sa Cebu sa streets lang,” she said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo. “Hinahabol kami ng pulis ng security ‘pag may nakikitang nagiiskate.”
“Minsan 'pag nasa mall pag may hawak na skate board bawal nang pumasok.”
Osmeña said Didal will no longer worry about such things. In fact, he even invited her to help design the proposed skate park.
“As the expert, your input is of course welcome on the park’s design. Soon, people like you will finally have a place that is safe, free from traffic, and able to call your own,” he said.
Didal’s golden performance in the Games’ women’s street skate event netted her a total of windfall of P6 million in incentives from the government and private patrons.
The 19-year-old will use the bonus to make sure that parents won’t have to scrounge for money again.
“First of all gagamitin para sa family po,” said Didal. “Baka magtayo ng negosyo para sa family din. Para hindi na kelangang magwork ng mama at papa ko.”
Didal is the fourth among 5 children. Her father works as a carpenter while her mother sells street food in Lahug.
She left school after finishing Grade 7 to go through extensive training overseas. Didal had to sacrifice her studies to able to provide financial support to her family.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
JAKARTA—Joseph Schooling did not claim to have swam a perfect race in winning Singapore's first gold medal of the 18th Asian Games but he feels the victory is another stepping stone towards the defense of his 100m butterfly title at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Texas-based swimmer earned Singapore's first Olympic gold medal when he won the event at the 2016 Rio Games but has since struggled with inconsistency, managing only a bronze at the world championships in Hungary last year.
Schooling said winning gold in Jakarta on Wednesday, in a Games record of 51.04, brought him "relief and joy" and hopefully signaled an end to his dip in form.
"I've been up and down over the last two years but it's part of the cycle, right? You can't always be in tip-top performance," he said at the Gelora Bung Karno Aquatic Center late on Wednesday.
"What's important is if you're not feeling at your best, step up, grind it through and try to win the race. That's what defines a champion."
The 23-year-old, who will be going for a second gold after topping Thursday's 50m butterfly heats (23.84), plans to swim in Europe before returning home for a World Cup leg in November ahead of next year's world championships in South Korea.
"I'm heading in the right direction ... I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable, so I envision the next two years getting better and better heading into Korea and Tokyo," he added.
He was happy with his time in Jakarta, which was the fifth fastest of the year and bettered his gold-winning 51.76 at the 2014 Asian Games, but felt it was "just another stepping stone" towards his ultimate goal.
"You build on it each meet, each year and you finally get to the Olympics," he said. "This is one of the building years to get to do what I want to do in Tokyo.
"Are things going according to plan? Yes, I'd say so. I'm happy with where I'm at. I'm definitely in a lot better shape than I was last year. Hopefully I can keep building on that."
And if he needs motivation, Schooling says criticism helps.
"I think criticism is good," he said.
"If everyone's on your side, praising you, it might get to your head. But I think this is a great check and balance for me.
"(I've) always proven my critics wrong. It gives me more motivation to go to practice, to race harder, so I can prove people wrong." (Editing by Peter Rutherford )
source: news.abs-cbn.com
JAKARTA—Six million pesos.
That’s the amount of money that Hidilyn Diaz is set to receive after she won a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games weightlifting competition in Jakarta on Tuesday
The Rio Olympics silver medalist made history once more for the country when she lifted a combined 207 kilograms in the women’s 53-kg division, edging competitors from Turkmenistan and Thailand.
“Siyempre, masayang-masaya ako,” said Diaz after her emotional triumph. "’Yung training na nagawa ko, may resulta. ‘Yung outcome, maganda.”
Diaz, 27, is set to receive a total of P6 million in incentives: P2 million from the Philippine Olympic Committee, P2 million from the Philippine Sports Commission through the Republic Act 10699, P1 million from the Siklab Pilipinas Sports Foundation, and another P1 million from Philippine ambassador to Indonesia Lee Hiong Wee.
The ambassador made the commitment on Monday night.
“Wow,” Diaz said when informed of her windfall. “Ano'ng gagawin ko?”
“Siguro, business,” she said. “Kailangan na matuto sa pag-manage ng pera. Invest.”
Diaz added that she will give part of her incentives to her mother and to her coaches, as well as her church. She memorably used her prize money from the 2016 Olympic Games to build a weightlifting gym in her hometown in Zamboanga City.
After the Asian Games, Diaz intends to go back to school at College of Saint Benilde. She will begin her buildup to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in November, when she competes in the World Weightlifting Championships in Turkmenistan.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Gymnast Kaitlin de Guzman copped the gold medal in the uneven bars in the 29th Southeast Asian Games Tuesday.
De Guzman registered a score of 12.875 to give the Philippines its second gold medals in gymnastics -- and fifth in this year's SEA Games.
Just an hour earlier, Reyland Capellan took the gold in the floor event.
Watch her winning performance here:
source: news.abs-cbn.com
