The Philippines may not be in the top 10 in this year’s Asian Games but that does not mean the country has zero reasons to celebrate.
Just today, it won its fourth gold medal in Palembang, Indonesia when Margielyn Didal won first place at the women’s street skateboard competition.
The 19-year-old’s flawless execution of tricks at the JSC Skateboard Stadium gave her a total of 30.4 points. Japan’s Isa Kaya won the silver medal while Bunga Nyimas of Indonesia won the bronze, Rappler reported.
Thanks to Didal’s win, the Philippine team has won a total of four golds and 13 bronzes, its most impressive performance since the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.
Twelve years ago, the Philippines won four golds, six silvers, and nine bronzes in Qatar.
Olympic silver medalist Hidylyn Diaz was the first athlete from Team Philippines to win a gold this year, which she won for weightlifting. The women’s golf team composed of Lois Kaye Go, Bianca Pagdanganan, and Japanese-Filipino Yuka Saso won first place at the women’s golf team category on Sunday.
Saso also won a gold medal on her own at the women’s golf event.
Skateboarding was a late addition to the Jakarta Palembang Asian Games. It will also be included for the first time in the Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo.