Filipina skateboarder Margielyn Didal and Gretchen Ho at the premiere of the documentary-film "Beyond the Board," June 21, 2024 in Makati. HandoutMANILA -- Filipina skateboarder Margielyn Didal lets her personality shine in a documentary-film that traces her journey from Cebu to the Tokyo Olympics, to an untimely injury in Brazil, and to her dreams of qualifying for the Summer Games in Paris.

"Beyond the Board," co-produced and co-written by former volleyball star Gretchen Ho, takes viewers back to Didal's roots and celebrates her triumphs -- notably in the Tokyo Games in 2021, where the skateboarder became a crowd favorite despite falling short of the podium.

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But it does not shy away from the low points of Didal's career, including an injury in October 2022, when she suffered a gruesome ankle fracture while competing in Brazil. 

"Beyond the Board," a documentary about Filipina skateboarder Margielyn Didal. Handout

The road to recovery proved tough for Didal, who would eventually miss out on a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics after an up-and-down performance in the 2024 World Skate in Dubai, which served as an Olympic qualifier.

Didal, who watched the premiere of the documentary-film on Friday in Makati with her family and team, said it was a "solid experience" to look back on her athletic journey.

"Ang layo na rin pala ng narating ko," she said afterward. "Kahit malayo pa, malayo na rin. I'm happy to share it with other people, not just skateboarding [fans]."

The premiere of the docu-film coincided with Go Skateboarding Day, much to the delight of Didal who is hopeful that the work will introduce even more people to her sport. Already, she is proud of how far skateboarding has progressed in the Philippines, which "Beyond the Board" also highlighted.

A bulk of the docu-film took place in Cebu, where Ho and her team shone a spotlight on the Pajara Park in Mandaue City. They spoke not just to Didal and her coaches but also to the local skateboarders who grew up with the Olympian and Asian Games champion. Their memories of Didal's younger years -- including how she would borrow skateboards and cook pancit canton on the side while practicing -- go a long way to further endear Didal to the audience.

But it's Didal who lifts the documentary-film with her humor and personality, as she joked around with her coaches and fellow skateboarders, and even with Ho as they looked back on her career. 

Towards the end, they turned their attention to the future of the sport in the Philippines by showing the Baler Skate Park in Aurora, where young skateboarders are learning the fundamentals and dreaming of following in Didal's footsteps.

"Nakikita ko din 'yung batang Margie na ini-idolo ['yung ibang skateboarders] dati," Didal said of the country's up-and-coming skate stars, who were one in saying that she is one of their major inspirations. "Ngayon, ini-idolo na [ako]. Nakakataba sa puso."

The road to the Paris Games may have ended for Didal but she remains as driven as ever to compete, even receiving an invite for the X Games Ventura 2024 in California on June 28-30. 

"Kung makapunta, mas okay, kasi it's been six years since my first X Games. Pag hindi man, try to do other stuff," said Didal, who has also been invited to watch the skateboarding competition in the Paris Olympics and is hoping to secure a visa in time for the Games.

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Filipina skateboarder Margielyn Didal with her coachces and Gretchen Ho at the premiere of the documentary-film "Beyond the Board," June 21, 2024 in Makati. Handout

Meanwhile, Ho says she is grateful for the response to her first documentary. Among those who showed up on Friday to watch the premiere were her former Ateneo teammate Dzi Gervacio, Sports Vision president Ricky Palou, and Kapamilya actress Aya Fernandez.

"I'm very overwhelmed with what we have here. Kasi, I didn't really expect that it would turn into a documentary-film. We just had the goal of telling Margie's untold story of her injury, but I guess, we couldn't fit everything into one episode, kaya ginawa naming film," Ho told ABS-CBN News.

"We felt that we had strong visuals, we had a story to tell. We saw the opportunity to do it with Red Bull, kaya we took on the challenge," she added. "Still a lot of improvements, still a lot of things that I wanna learn, because this is a different craft, I would say."

"Doing a documentary and doing a film, two different things. Very far from the news reporting that we do day to day. The thought excites me."

"Beyond the Board" will be shown on  Ho's official YouTube channel starting 8:00 p.m. on June 23.

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