Filipina skateboarding prodigy Margielyn Didal is set to book her way to the Tokyo Olympics following a semifinal finish in the 2021 Street Skateboarding World Championships in Rome, Italy late Friday in Manila, June 4.
Though the world rankings have yet to be reset as the tournament is still ongoing, Skate Pilipinas made an early announcement through a social media post.
"The official announcement of qualified skaters will only be released after the World Championships Finals in Rome, but Skate Pilipinas would like to be the first to announce that our very own has earned a slot for the Tokyo Olympics," wrote Skate Pilipinas in an Instagram post. "Congratulations Margie! Mabuhay ka Margie!"
The Philippine Olympic Committee also announced that Didal has qualified for the Tokyo Games by posting an infographic through its social media channels.
Didal failed in her bid to punch an outright berth to the Olympics after placing 17th overall in the semifinal despite a great start from Heats 1 and 2.
The 22-year-old Cebuana skateboarder had her best spot in Heat 1, placing fifth overall but she wasn't able to sustain it for quite long.
Only the top eight will advance to the final while the podium finishers have the chance to book an automatic ticket to the Tokyo Games which will kick off next month.
Completing the Tokyo participants are the Top 16 in the world plus Japan with a direct slot for being the host country.
Didal, who is currently ranked No. 13 in the world and remained No. 3 in Asia, is bound to become the 10th Filipino to qualify for the Tokyo Games by joining the likes of pole vaulter EJ Obiena; world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo; boxers Eumir Felix Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecho, and Carlo Paalam; weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz; rower Criz Nievarez; and taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa.
Last month, Didal, a 2019 Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist, finished 12th place overall with another semifinal appearance in the Dew Tour Des Moines 2021 held at Des Moines, Iowa last month.
Meanwhile, Rayssa Leal of Brazil, Aori Nishimura and Funa Nakayama of Japan are the current Top 3 skateboarders heading into the final of the world championships on Sunday.