A star in the making
The story of sheer dedication, passion, sacrifice and success go hand in hand and 17 year old Anna- Marie Ondaatje is proof of that. Just last April, she became the first female gymnast to represent Sri Lanka in rhythmic gymnastics, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia. Although a Sri Lankan at birth, Anna- Marie currently lives in Toronto Canada. However we got the chance to catch up with her, just as she visited Sri Lanka after the games.
Anna-Marie Ondaatje and Head Coach Svetlana Joukova
Anna- Marie first got into gymnastics when she was nine years old. She had wanted to do Artistic Gymnastics at the time, but her father who had seen rhythmic gymnastics on YouTube, encouraged her to pursue it.
“As soon as I started rhythmic gymnastics I fell in love with it. I loved everything about it, from the expression to working with the apparatus and the fact that it involves a lot of ballet. I also love the movement of the body,” she tells us.
Sooner she found herself competing at both provincial and national levels in Canada. As her journey continued, Anna -Marie entered the international arena. This time she represented Sri Lanka, to compete for the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championship title back in 2017.
Being a gymnast is no easy feat as the sport calls for a lot of sacrifice and dedication, we find out as our conversation progresses. But it’s the love for the sport which makes Anna -Marie continue to do what she does best. At the same time though, she does admit that it is a love-hate kind of relationship.
There have been times, where she’d feel unmotivated to hit the gym (moments which she says are very rare).This is because it does get hard but she pushes on regardless. “You’re thinking way beyond where you are right now, you’re thinking about how it’s going to affect you later. You know what you want and how you have to work hard and go to the training to achieve your goals,” she says. It is also the thought of her family that motivates her. “I know that my family is in it too, because I’m not the only one sacrificing my time but they are as well.”
It’s always been Anna -Marie’s dream to represent Sri Lanka in rhythmic gymnastics and after seeing that through, her next step was to compete at the Commonwealth games, which was also a success. She made it to the all -around finals and the event finals, where she was placed 11th in both categories. She also came in sixth place in the clubs category.
Anna -Marie however tells us she was expecting better results. But owing to an injury, which had taken almost five weeks to heal, she was slowed down. “I didn’t start my training fully until I actually got to Australia,” she says. And in fact the pain had worsened whilst she was on the 28 hour flight from Canada to Australia.
“I couldn’t bend forward or backward. So I consulted the physiotherapist and doctors who were at the village and they helped me out.” The process however was still painful and her coach had to change her routine as well. Despite all of that however, she did make it to the finals.
Being a gymnast is a challenge in itself. But her toughest hurdle by far was starting the sport when she nine. This is because gymnasts usually start off at age of three or four, she explains.
“I’m also not naturally flexible, which makes me more prone to injuries since I push more on my joints,” she continues adding that she has to be careful all the time.
Our conversation continues on to her training process, where she recalls it getting more intense as the games got closer. Anna-Marie and her coach would sit down and try to figure out how she would build up endurance to ensure that she’d be at peak performance at the games. She would then go on to train five to six hours a day for six days of the week. Her programme would include ballet, working with different apparatus, muscle strengthening, balance and flexibility.
To her it’s not all work though. Aside from being an international athlete Anna- Marie also enjoys baking for her family. “Since I have a big family, I always love baking something for them, she tells us.” When she’s not training, she is also busy completing her schooling online.
As part of her future plans, Anna- Marie hopes to expand rhythmic gymnastics to Sri Lanka. “I don’t want the sport to die after me. I want to bring it to Sri Lanka and make sure that it stays,” she says.
As we close, Anna -Marie tells us that she can’t wait to get back and recommence her training for the Asian Games, which will take place in Indonesia this year. She hopes to go in with a fresh plan and this time, win a medal for Sri Lanka.
Anna- Marie is grateful to Kamal Perera, President Sri Lanka Gymnastics Federation, Maxwell De Silva, Secretary General NOC, SL, Aruna Prasad, ex-President of the National Gymnastics Association of Sri Lanka and her father Alistair Ondaatje for their continuous support.
