Therese Sta. MariaThe Olympics is a time when the best athletes around the world get to show off their skills and prove that they are indeed better than the rest. Rarely would athletes trend during the Olympics for having the best attitude after a loss. But that feat was all too easy for Margielyn Didal, the young Filipino skater who placed seventh in the women’s skateboarding competition.
Despite her loss, she was thankful, all smiles, and just enjoyed the moment. Who noticed her bright personality aside from the Philippines? Brazil and Japan!
How Brazil noticed Margielyn Didal
Image credit: Margielyn Didal Official Instagram
The 22-year-old Filipina seemed to have made lots of friends among her competitors, with her infectious smile and enthusiasm. Brazil’s skater contender, Rayssa Leal, developed a real friendship with Didal and the two were even seen hugging and making TikTok videos together.
Aiiiii gente!!! 🥰🥰🥰 pic.twitter.com/kOBOKzNPmo
— Camilla de Lucas (@camilladelucas) July 26, 2021
Thanks to news coverage and the two ladies’ posts on social media, Brazil fans found themselves flocking to Didal’s Instagram account to shower her with love. It seemed that they were grateful for Didal’s support to Leal, with comments that said “Brazil loves you!” and “Go Margielyn!” matched with the Brazilian flag emoji. On Twitter, a Brazilian even said, “We are already providing the Brazilian nationality for Didal.”
Image credit: Globo Official Website
Best of all, Didal even made the headline of the Brazilian news site Globo. The article title translates to “Filipina skateboarder wins Brazilians after partnering with Rayssa Leal in the Olympic final.” Didal may not have won a medal, but she officially won the hearts of Brazilian fans!
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Image credit: Margielyn Didal Official Instagram
Japan shined a spotlight on Margielyn Didal
Image credit: #Tokyo2020 Official Twitter Page
Japan couldn’t resist showering Didal with affection either. During the skateboarding competition, Margielyn unfortunately suffered many falls but that didn’t keep her from getting up and assuring her team that she was a-okay with a thumbs up.
On the official Tokyo 2020 Twitter account, Japan tweeted “This will be known as the ‘Margielyn Didal seal of approval’” along with her iconic thumbs-up photo. Later on, the account tweeted another photo of Didal with the caption, “#UnitedByEmotion.”
Image credit: #Tokyo2020 Official Twitter Page
On Facebook, a Japanese fan wrote about how Japanese people could learn from Filipinos’ positivity and attitude towards competitions. Shunki Matsushima praised Margielyn Didal for being happy even though she didn’t win. In all caps, she wrote “Big respect to all Filipinos from Japan❤️🇯🇵.” The post has gained almost 40,000 shares as of writing.
Image credit: Shunki Matsushima Facebook Page
Japan and the Philippines have had good relations for many years now, and the show of mutual respect of the people from both sides keeps the relationship warm and solid.
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Indeed, Margielyn Didal has proven that a positive attitude, no matter the result, is contagious and quite frankly what the world needs right now. The Olympics may be a time to rise above others, but it’s also a time to uplift one another and form new friendships. We’re sure that Margielyn Didal is just one example; but thanks to her, Brazil and Japan have already been taking notes!
