Paolo Mariano is an executive producer of SportsCenter Philippines who followed and covered Margielyn Didal when she competed in the X Games in Minneapolis in July 2018.
Margielyn Didal was late.
She was supposed to meet the three-man crew of SportsCenter Philippines at 6 p.m. for a feature shoot and interview at the Familia Headquarters Skate Shop at Hennepvin Ave. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a chance for her to tell her story.
It was July 22. A dull and downcast Saturday afternoon. The sky was gray and the rain was spattering. There were hardly any cars or people outside, but the inside of the skate shop, which also has a fully equipped indoor skate park almost the size of two side-by-side basketball courts, was bustling with skateboarders.
Didal arrived at around 7 p.m. with her manager Anthony Claravall, who also doubles as her personal chauffeur, bodyguard, personal assistant, and of course, confidant. The 19-year-old jitterbug sported a smile and an easy-going attitude. Her tardiness wasn't lost on her, though.
"Sorry, we ate first," said Didal with a little laugh.
They had Chinese food at Shuang Cheng, a five-minute drive away from the skate shop.
"The shrimp with lobster sauce was good," recalled Claravall.
Didal immediately excused herself to go inside to skate. The temptation was too much, even though she had just finished practicing a few hours prior. She was set to compete in the X Games the next day-the first Filipina ever in the skateboard street event of the biggest extreme sports competition in the Milky Way.
After maybe 10 minutes of skating and high-fiving, it was time for the on-camera interview. Wearing a white shirt, gray pants, black cap, and shoes with the colorway of the Philippine flag, she sat on an elevated ramp in the parking lot with a bare brick wall as a backdrop. She was 12,534 kilometers away from their modest house in Lahug, Cebu. But she felt comfortable. She felt at home.
"Game!" excitedly said Didal.
The interview went on for about 15 minutes. Some skaters were gazing, perhaps wondering why the pint-sized, long-haired girl was being interviewed by a TV crew. She was gregarious, lively, and for the lack of a better word, fun. She told stories about her humble beginnings, her brushes with security guards, and how she hid her chipped tooth from her mother after falling from her skateboard.
"She'd always scold me whenever I came home late. I was supposed be at home right after school, but I go home at around 8 or 9 p.m. 'All you do is skate!' she would say. But when I started winning, she allowed it," Didal said with a laugh.
She, however, did not win in the X Games. She finished 8th among 12 finalists, which included legend Leticia Bufoni. It was clear that Didal was still far from the level of her competitors, who executed more daring and difficult stunts.
She watched with unbridled elation as the winners were awarded. She looked genuinely happy for them. For her heroes. For her friends. But it's also not erroneous to presume that she was envious. Or at the very least, hungry. Not for Chinese food, but for the shiny, shimmering medals hanging around their necks.
"I went up against my idols. Their only advantage was skate parks. There's still next time. Maybe I'll win in the next X Games," confidently said Didal.
She's been pleading for more skate parks in the Philippines like a beauty queen advocating for world peace. She firmly believes it will be a game-changer. After all, how can they skate if there are no skate parks?
While Didal was busy whooping it up with her fellow skaters, Claravall seemed introspective. He was tranquil and reserved. A total antithesis to Didal, who looked like she had a perpetual sugar rush. But this time around, Claravall didn't bite his lip. He was bold. Audacious, even.
"Margie will win the gold (medal) in the Asian Games," said Claravall. "I don't see why she can't be the best in Asia. Or even in the whole Asia-Pacific."
He first saw Didal in Cebu in 2011 after a good friend told him to check her out. So he did. And although she was still raw and unpolished, Claravall took a chance.
"She was very young. But already working at Concave Skate Park, running errands and sweeping up," Claravall said. "Then I properly met her in June 2016 and put her on the New Balance team."
Since then, he has brought the fleet-footed firecracker all around the world to train and compete: Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok, Taiwan, Indonesia, London, and the U.S. With a shaved head, stocky built, and a serious visage, the 46-year-old Claravall was intimidating and looked more like a UFC fighter than a skateboard enthusiast. But he knew a winner when he saw one.
Fast forward to a few days ago, in her return to Indonesia Didal was still as ebullient as ever as the winners were being awarded at the podium. Only this time around, the gold medal was hanging around her neck. She ruled the women's skateboard street event in the 18th Asian Games. The usually bubbly Didal was reduced to a tiny bucket of tears. With the Philippine flag draped over her, she shared a tight hug with her manager.
"This is for all the skaters in the Philippines. I'm really enjoying this gold medal. Why would you aim for a silver or bronze?" Didal said after the win.
Claravall's clairvoyance proved to be true.
"I still can't quite believe it. The hard work and strategy worked, I guess," he said.
He, however, pivoted a bit with regard to the prediction he made back in Minneapolis. He wasn't ready to call himself Nostradamus just yet.
"I hoped (for the gold medal) but still wasn't 100% sure. She had no hesitation, though. She did it 100 percent," Claravall said. "Stay tuned for more big things from her."
It was a perfect storm of sorts for Didal. Her skills and confidence skyrocketed the same time skateboarding was accepted as an official sport. The Philippines now even has a national sports association for skateboarding.
After making history in Palembang, Didal has her sights set on the 2020 Tokyo Games. Now, she also has a chance to become the first ever female skateboard gold medalist in the Olympics and, more importantly, the first ever Olympic gold medalist of the Philippines.
Her timing couldn't have been any more perfect.