In 2017, a 17-year-old girl born in Canada with strong Sri Lankan roots caught the attention of Sri Lanka when she decided to represent Sri Lanka at the 2017 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. She had the honour of becoming the first rhythmic gymnast to represent Sri Lanka. This girl continued to grace us with her talent and skills at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and many more competitions. Now, she is in line to perform at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. But more than just a world-class gymnast, she is also a person with a social mission to help and inspire Sri Lankans. She is none other than Anna-Marie Ondaatje.
MoraSpirit got the opportunity to spend a few valuable minutes speaking and getting to know more about her goals, her achievements, and the work she does. Here's Anna-Marie Ondaatje in an interview with MoraSpirit.
We know Anna-Marie Ondaatje as an international caliber rhythmic gymnast who has also taken part in the Miss Grand International competition, representing Sri Lanka. Personally, how would you describe the person known as Anna-Marie Ondaatje?
I would describe Anna Marie as an athlete - someone who is very passionate about her sports, someone who always wants to do something, someone who can never sit still; working on projects or training. I think my family would describe who I am better. It is difficult to describe yourself, but if you can have someone who can point out certain things about you, perhaps my siblings would say that I am very hardworking and determined.
Can you take us through your journey as a gymnast—how you started out, how you discovered you were good at it, what inspired you to represent Sri Lanka at the international level?
I started ballet when I was nine years old. But I have always wanted to do gymnastics. I was so into it - doing cartwheels in the backyard, hopping onto my parents’ shoulders, dancing, anything and everything. I wanted to do artistic gymnastics.
One of the students in my ballet school introduced gymnastics to my dad. He found out about rhythmic gymnastics from the student’s parents. He was like, “Wow! That’s such a beautiful sport" , and took me to my first club in Toronto where I started my first class.. That is actually pretty strange, because usually a lot of students who do rhythmic gymnastics have some sort of history or background in it. For me, I was the first person in my family to take up such a sport. It came from the beliefs of my parents. It is tricky to start something new in your family because you have no background history or knowledge about it. But, as soon as I started doing it, I fell in love with it.
You were the first athlete to represent Sri Lanka at the international level in rhythmic gymnastics. Do you see yourself as an inspiration to others who might want to pursue the sport in Sri Lanka?
Yes, I do. It was one of my goals. When I started representing Sri Lanka in 2017, I wanted to inspire all the other girls who wanted to do rhythmic gymnastics. I hoped that if they saw another Sri Lankan girl doing it, they would come forward too.
I have found my passion and purpose since I was nine years old through rhythmic gymnastics. It taught me a lot, molded me a lot, and also played a major role in building up my character. So, I wanted to introduce it to as many people as possible, because I thought that it would help them find themselves: their passion and purpose the same way I did.
What has been your biggest achievement so far in the gymnastics arena?
My biggest achievements would probably be winning three gold medals at India’s first International Rhythmic Gymnastics Cup 2019 in Hyderabad, three gold medals at the Switzerland International Rhythmic Gymnastics Cup, and also coming to the finals in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 2018 Asian Games, and the 2019 Asian Championships; representing Sri Lanka and giving it its rhythmic gymnastics debut in 2017 at the World Championships.
If you never pursued gymnastics, how much do you think your life would have changed and where would you see yourself in that scenario?
Rhythmic gymnastics is a huge portion of my life. So, it is very difficult to imagine how my life would have grown up without it. But, if I was to say how it would be different, I think I would have picked up another sport. Because, I think, according to my personality, my family lifestyle, and the way we grew up, it is very much like finding something you love and going after it, growing in whatever it is. So, even if it is not rhythmic gymnastics, it would have been another sport, but it wouldn’t be anything academic.
Now we know the 2022 Commonwealth Games are coming. What are your personal goals? And we'd like to know your long-term goals for your future competitions.
So this will be the second Commonwealth Games of my life. I first participated in 2018 when I came into the finals. My goal is definitely to make it to the final and look to win the gold medal. My other sporting goal is to train hard and work towards qualifying for the 2024 Olympics.
Your journey and relationship with your motherland saw an entirely new chapter with the establishment of the 'A Quint Ondaatje Foundation' and the work you have done towards giving back to our motherland. How would you describe your work with the foundation, and what inspired you to establish it?
When I first started rhythmic gymnastics, it was always my father's dream to give back to our country. Through me, we felt that we were representing Sri Lanka, and we were able to share my passion and experiences by introducing the sport, as I said, and inspiring others to put this sport on the map for Sri Lankans.
Following the motto of “We are all equal and here for a purpose”, the main goals of the 'A Quint Ondaatje Foundation" are to help eliminate poverty and provide basic healthcare needs. This was another opportunity for us to give back and use any resources or experience we have to share through this foundation.
In all your endeavours so far, in both sports and pageants how important has it been to have a solid support network and whom would you thank most for moulding you into who you are today?
I think it is so important to have a good support network - because nothing is done alone, especially in sports. There are so many people behind you - who you need along your journey such as family, friends, physiotherapists, and coaches. Even the people who you meet and talk to are going to help and support you.
I want to thank first and foremost my father, who believed in me and continues to do so and supported me so much. The whole "A Quint Ondaatje Foundation" and the support team have been amazing. They are working all the time to make sure everything is working well and that we are achieving our goal of giving back.
Moving onto our final question, A majority of our audience is young people, especially university students. As an undergraduate who has branched out successfully into multiple avenues, is there any advice you would like to give the younger generation in Sri Lanka?
My advice to the younger generation is to first find your passion and make it into something bigger than you. You should be able to turn that passion into something more than you. It should either give back or help somebody, inspire somebody, or even, for example, help save the planet.
Always believe in yourself first, because no one else will believe in you stronger than you could. You need to believe in yourself before anyone else will. Show up for yourself all the time. Work hard and, most importantly, work smart and surround yourself with very good people.
As a university media organization, MoraSpirit was privileged to be given this opportunity to speak with a fiercely ambitious young lady who has diversified into multiple pathways while also giving back to the community. She will be making her way into the competition on the 4th of August through the Individual qualification where she will be hoping to make both the all round and apparatus finals.
We at MoraSpirit wish Anna-Marie the best of luck in her quest to bring glory to Sri Lanka at Birmingham and in all her future endeavours both in the sport and beyond.
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