Anna-Marie Ondaatje ready to create history in Gold Coast – By Michelle Tissera 

Source: Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

She is seventeen years old and on the cusp of making history. Anna-Marie Suzanne Quint Ondaatje is a senior international level rhythmic gymnast. She holds the enviable distinction of being the first woman gymnast to represent Sri Lanka, which will also be making its debut in rhythmic gymnastics, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games to be held on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, from April 4 to 15.

In a sport where most gymnasts begin their training as flexible tots as early as four years, Anna-Marie was nine when she made her foray into this extremely competitive field. Initially drawn to artistic gymnastics, it was her father who encouraged her passion for dance but convinced her to pursue rhythmic gymnastics instead, because he considered it to be more feminine. Artistic gymnastics focuses mainly on strength, balance and agility. Rhythmic gymnasts must have balance, flexibility, coordination, and strength.

Anna-Marie’s climb to the top has been slow but sure. She has, in Canada, competed at the provincial and national levels and also in multiple World Cups and International tournaments.

She most recently competed at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championship 2017 in Pesaro, Italy, where she proudly represented Sri Lanka.

Anna-Marie was born on September 1, 2000 in Toronto, Canada to Alistair and Suzanne (Felsinger) Ondaatje. Both parents hail from Hendala, Wattala, in
Sri Lanka.

Alistair left Sri Lanka and went to Cyprus when he was 21. In 1991, he decided to migrate to Canada and reconnected with his childhood sweetheart, Suzanne, who he knew when he was 17. They got married and have three daughters, (Angeline, 22, Anna-Marie, 17, Alexis, 14) and son (A.J., 11). Alexis, a singer, is already making her own waves in the music industry while soccer seems to be A.J.’s passion. The family identify themselves as Sri Lankans and are proud of their roots.

A true son of the soil, Alistair was fueled with a desire to do something meaningful for his country. He determined that his daughter, Anna-Marie would fulfill that honour by representing Sri Lanka and introducing the game through her love and dedication of the sport.

His mission was endorsed wholeheartedly by his family, as Suzanne and the children threw their unstinting support towards his goal. Angeline, in particular proved to be their pillar of strength as the family went through countless hours and years of hard work, resilience, patience and resolve.

Their determination paid off and Anna-Marie won a bronze medal for Canada in the group event for Pacific Rim Championships in 2014. She was also ranked #1 in the Canadian group selection in 2016 for Team Canada.

This sport is a complex one which combines the elements of ballet, gymnastics, dance and apparatus manipulation. But Anna-Marie enjoys it from the technicalities of the dance, music and training.“I love the elegance, the expression to the music, the rhythm, everything,” she told said beaming from ear to ear.

Apparatus manipulation, a robotic term associated with the graceful sport, is exceedingly challenging and adds to the allure of the act.

Each performer has to master the use of five apparatuses: the hoop, ball, clubs, rope and ribbon. Each program lasts for 90 seconds. Rhythmic gymnastics is a ballet/gymnastics combination. In the current Code of Points (2017-2020), the final grade is derived from the sum of the ratings for composition and performance, each with a maximum value of 10 points, so the final score will be a maximum of 20 points. There are also penalties, which are realised by subtracting points from the final note for certain specified mistakes made by the gymnast.

Commonwealth Games 2018

“One needs to achieve technicality of the routine and the apparatus artistry,” she said. When asked about the impending Commonwealth Games, Anna-Marie said: “I am expecting tough competition from Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and South Africa.”

Her first events, scheduled for April 11 and 12, are the qualification rounds and the finals are slated for April 13.With no Sri Lankan having ever participated in this discipline, she hopes to win and create new sports history for the country. The Sri Lankan team consists of 80 athletes competing in 13 sports.

Anna-Marie has been coached by Svetlana Joukova, since 2016. Svetlana has been a rhythmic gymnastics coach for 15 years in Russia, and 20 years in Canada and has been a national coach for Canada since 1997. In 2010, her junior team won the bronze medal at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. During the same year, her senior team won silver at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. In 2012, her senior group represented Canada at the London Olympic Games.

‘I’ve been Anna-Marie’s coach for the last two years. She’s been training very hard to achieve her top goals which one of them is to represent Sri Lanka at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She trains six days a week, five hours per day at our beautiful sporting venue which was built for 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto,’ said Svetlana.

“Anna-Marie is a member of Kalev Rhythmic Gymnastics club which produced Olympians and Commonwealth Games medalists. At the same time, she studies hard and achieves great marks in her school education program. She is very dedicated to Rhythmic Gymnastics and competes in this sport with all her passion and strength.” “The main goal for the 2018 Commonwealth Games is to win a medal which is within her reach. She would like to bring glory to her country and develop this beautiful sport in Sri Lanka,” Svetlana said. “She derives her motivation and strong desire to be at the top in this sport from her idol, former Russian World champion and Olympic champion Evgenia Kanaeva,” Svetlana added.

“It has been my pleasure to work with Anna-Marie over the last few years at the Jusco Rhythmic Gymnastics Club. Her dedication to the sport has been consistently outstanding,” said Mimi Masleva, former Olympian coach. “Her natural ability to feel the music and interpret that feeling in terms of movement and expression is quite unique and has caught the attention of coaches and judges whenever they have observed her performing.”

She hopes to participate in the 2020 Olympics after which her next goal is to see her father, Alaistair’s other dream for her come to fruition. She plans on participating in a beauty pageant and bring home that coveted title for Sri Lanka. And why not, after all, Alistair’s cousin is the legendary, Maureen Hingert, who is the only Sri Lankan to be crowned runner-up at the 1955 Miss Universe pageant.

Anna-Marie is completely financed by her father/manager, Alistair, who has funded her sporting activity, costs of which have spiralled to an astronomical $80,000 a year depending on the extent of travel involved. Her leotards average around $1500 not including the cost of toe shoes, and other apparatus such as balls, ribbons, clubs, hoops, sticks, ropes, training wear, accessories and tapes. Add to that ballooning price tag is the cost of her personal trainer and physiotherapy bills.

Alistair and Anna-Marie were also all praise for Kamal Perera, President Sri Lanka Gymnastics Federation, Maxwell De Silva, Secretary General NOC, SL and Aruna Prasad, ex-President of the National Gymnastics Association of Sri Lanka.

Unfortunately, due to the high intensity of her training she has injured herself slightly and at present has a stress fracture on the vertebrae pars. She is fighting hard to be in shape so that she can perform her best at the impending Games.

Anna-Marie Suzanne Quint will be the second Ondaatje to participate in International Games. Sir Christopher Ondaatje represented Canada in the four-man bobsled at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.