Skateboarder Didal delivers PH’s 4th gold in Asian Games

FILE: GOLD WINNER. Margielyn Didal topped the women’s street event in the 18th Asian Games skateboarding competition at the Jakabaring Sports City Skateboard Stadium in Palembang City on Wednesday. (Photo by Aaron Bayato/Radyo Pilipinas2 via PNA)

JAKARTA — The Philippines notched its fourth gold medal at the 18th Asian Games after Margielyn Didal won the women’s street final of skateboarding on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Cebuana tallied 30.4 points after five rounds to win the event at the Jakabaring Sports City Skateboarding Stadium in Palembang City.

“Para sa bansa at sa lahat ng skateboarders sa buong Pilipinas ang medalyang ito [This medal is for the Philippines and all the skateboards in the country],” said Didal in an interview with Radyo Pilipinas.

In preparation for the Asian Games, Didal competed in the 2018 World Xtreme Games in Minneapolis (USA) and Street League Skateboarding PRO Open in London, England.

Japan’s Isa Kaya scored 25.0 points to take the silver medal while Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas registered 19.8 points to pocket the bronze medal.

“She’s (Didal) an inspiration to all. Love this girl,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas in a statement.

MVP Sports Foundation president Al Panlilio also issued a statement, saying, “I’m extremely happy. Another MVPSF-supported gold medalist. Total medal contribution zooms to four gold and five bronze medals”.

Prior to Wednesday, all the three gold medals of the Philippines in the Asian Games were won by women playing in sports primarily dominated by men.

Now, another girl playing in yet another big boys’ game made the Filipinos’ gold count to four.

Japan is actually the biggest winner of the women’s skateboarding series as the country went 1-2 in the park category, with Isa pocketing the silver and Sakura Yosozumi winning it all.

Meanwhile, the Philippines was assured of another bronze medal after boxer Carlo Paalam advanced to the semifinal round of the men’s light flyweight (46kg to 49kg) category.

The 20-year-old Paalam downed Kazkhstan’s Temirtas Zhussupov, 4-1, in their quarterfinal bout at the Jakarta International Exhibition Center in Kemayoran.

“Magaling sya at mautak kasi experienced siya [He’s good and smart because he’s more experienced],” said Paalam, a bronze medalist in the Asian Championships and World Youth Championships two years ago.

Paalam will battle China’s Wu Zhonglin in the semifinal round on Friday.

Wu defeated Indonesia’s Mario Blasius Kali, 5-0, in the quarterfinal.

As of 3 p.m., the Philippines has 13 bronzes, including the medal won by Almohaidib Abad in the men’s singles final.

Abad, a placed fifth (singles) and sixth (team) in the 2017 SEA Games, scored 455 points to finish behind Indonesia’s Sugianto Sugianto and Thailand’s Ilyas Sadara in the competition at the Padepokan Pencak Silat in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) on Wednesday.

In kurash, Lloyd Dennis Catipon, Noemi Tener and Jenielou Mosquesda were scheduled to compete at the Jakarta Convention Center Assembly Hall late in the afternoon.

Catipon will face Indonesia’s I Komang Ardiarta in the first round of the men’s -81kg category.

The 21-year-old Catipon was a silver medalist (kurash 73kg) in the 2016 Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam. He won the bronze (judo -66kg) in the 2011 SEA Games.

Tener, a national wrestler from Agusan del Sur, will be up against Uzbekistan’s Dildor Shermetova, in the women’s -63kg round-of-32.

Tener, 28, won the bronze (60kg) in the 2016 Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam. She was 11th (58kg) in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan last year.

Mosqueda, a judoka from Davao City, had a first-round bye and will take on Mongolia’s Baasanjargal Bayarbat in the women’s -63kg round-of-16. The Mongolian scored a 5-0 victory over Turkmenistan’s Mehriban Kurbanova in the first round.

Mosqueda won the silver (-57kg) in the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar. She was a bronze medalist in the -52kg event in the 2011 Indonesia SEA Games.

Two-time SEA Games wrestling gold medalist Jason Balabal will see action on Thursday in the men’s -90kg class against Tukmenistan’s Guvanch Begaliyev. (With reports from Ivan Saldajeno/PNA)