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Gymnast Carlos Yulo and professional street skateboarder Margielyn Didal have made it to Forbes Magazine‘s annual list of “30 under 30” in Asia, a roundup of young leaders and changemakers across the region who are all under the age of 30.
The honorees from 10 categories were announced by the magazine yesterday, spanning the arts, entertainment, media, tech, healthcare, and science, among others. They were vetted by a panel of accomplished judges in the same fields, and were picked from a pool of at least 3,500 people.
According to Rana Wehbe, the project’s editor, the fifth edition of the list should “inspire optimism in what is promising to be a tough year ahead. They are a resilient and energetic bunch who are facing challenges head-on and actively working for a future that matches their aspirations.”
Yulo was lauded for being the first male athlete in Southeast Asia to take home a gold medal for his country. The 20-year-old won the men’s floor exercise at the World Gymnastics Championship in Germany in 2019. The teen gymnast’s debut at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games also earned him two golds and five silver medals.
“For all his achievements, Yulo received the President’s Award at the Philippine Sportswriters Association in March. He will be representing the Philippines at the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo,” Forbes said.
Read: Filipino teen Yulo wins men’s floor world title
The 20-year-old Didal, on the other hand, won a gold medal for the Philippines at the 2018’s Asian Games. The pro skateboarder is preparing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where skateboarding has been included in the games for the first time.
Forbes also noted that the Cebu native was awarded “Athlete of the Year at the Sportswriters Association of Cebu-San Miguel Brewery Cebu Sports Awards, considered the ‘Oscars of Cebu sports.'” Didal also won a bronze at the recently concluded and first-ever Women’s Open at the annual Tampa Pro competition in Florida this March.
Besides the two athletes, three other Filipinos also made the list, including PayMongo chief executive Francis Plaza, The Cacao Project founder Louise Emmanuelle Mabulo, and artist Breech Asher Harani.
