Anna-Marie Suzanne Quint Ondaatje also simply known as Anna-Marie Ondaatje (born 1 September 2000) is a Canadian born female rhythmic gymnast of Sri Lankan descent. She has competed in national level competitions in Canada and has represented both Canada and then switched to compete for Sri Lanka in international gymnastics events. She became the first rhythmic gymnast to represent

Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Games Sri Lanka have participated in all but three Commonwealth Games since 1938, with the only ones missed being the 1954, 1974 and 1986 Games. Sri Lanka have won twenty medals at the Games, but had a 44-year medal drought spanning 1950 to 1994. Unti ...

after creating history for the nation at the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

and was also named as one of just four female gymnasts from Sri Lanka to represent at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Biography

Anna-Marie Ondaatje was born on 1 September 2000 in Canada to parents of Sri Lankan origin, Alistair Ondaatje and Suzanne Ondaatje who hailed from the town of Wattala, Hendala which is situated downtown to

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. She initially took the discipline of artistic gymnastics at the age of nine but her father suggested Anna-Marie to engage in rhythmic gymnastics to focus on the flexibility considering the feminine oriented discipline, a suitable option unlike the artistic gymnastics.

Career

Canada (2014–2016)

After switching from artistic gymnastics to rhythmic gymnastics, Anna-Marie Ondaatje has competed at the provincial and national level Championships in Canada. She also took part at the

2014 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships The 2014 Pacific Rim Championships were held from 9 April to 12 April 2014 in Richmond, British Columbia. Overall medal table Medalists Artistic gymnastics Men's events Women's events Rhythmic gymnastics #^Medals were also awarded for ...

representing Canada and finished fourth in a junior group event.

Sri Lanka (2017-present)

Anna-Marie Ondaatje went onto represent Sri Lanka at the

2017 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships The 2017 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, the 35rd edition, was held in Pesaro, Italy, from 30 August to 3 September 2017. Participating countries List of delegations participating in Championship. * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

which was also her first senior level competition for the nation and became the first ever gymnast to compete for Sri Lanka at an international rhythmic gymnastics championship. She competed in the individual qualification event and finished on 75th position with 42.400 total points. Anna-Marie fortunately made her Commonwealth Games debut at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games representing

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. She finished on 11th position out of 16 athletes in the women's individual all round finals . She also qualified to represent Sri Lanka at the 2018 Asian Games as the only gymnast from Sri Lanka to have progressed to compete at the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 A ...

, which also marked her maiden

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

event.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ondaatje, Anna-Marie 2000 births Sri Lankan rhythmic gymnasts Canadian rhythmic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Gymnasts at the 2018 Asian Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Sri Lanka Sportspeople from Markham, Ontario Canadian people of Sri Lankan descent Living people Asian Games competitors for Sri Lanka Ondaatje family