Tehani Egodawela on being selected for the Summer Olympics
By Venessa Anthony
Rifle Shooter Tehani Egodawela was selected to participate in the XXXII Summer Olympic Games for the Women’s 10m air rifle 0.177 event, which starts in the Japanese capital of Tokyo in July.
Egodawela is a Leading Woman’s Communicator who has been representing the Navy Musketry Pool since 2011, and has been selected as the best shooter seven times, representing the National Pool since 2012. In addition, she has represented Sri Lanka in many overseas competitions and has exhibited excellent performances.
She holds the Sri Lankan record in the Women’s 10m air rifle 0.177 event from 2018 and also holds the Sri Lankan record in the Women’s 50m rifle 0.22 (in standing, kneeling, and prone events) since 2019. She has also won a Bronze Medal in the Women’s 50m rifle 0.22 team event at the South Asian Games 2016 in India, as well as in Nepal in 2019. Further, she set a new national record, in the Women’s 50m rifle 0.22 event held in Qatar in 2019.
Due to her outstanding performance, she was able to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, as she was at the forefront of the World Rankings for the Women’s 10m air rifle 0.177 event. She has indeed brought great honour to the Navy and the country by qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in the Women’s rifle event.
Egodawela, hailing from Wattala, is also the first Navy officer in history to participate in the Olympics, and in conversation with her, she commented that she is very proud to be a woman that is achieving such heights.
Egodawela is a Rifle Shooter for the Navy by profession. She wasn’t given much duty in the Navy, so she is paid to pursue her passion. “I am incredibly grateful to the Navy for providing me with this opportunity, and I plan to make them proud.”
When asked how she felt about such a huge achievement, she stated: “This is a huge opportunity, because, for someone that does sports, the Olympics is the greatest achievement. It’s everyone’s dream and I’m very happy I got this amazing opportunity.” She added that she plans to train hard and make her country proud.
Talking about the sport of rifle shooting, Egodawela explained that only a few people know that firing is a sport of the mind, more than one of physical exertion, “No matter how physically fit you are, you can’t do this if you’re not mentally fit,” she informed us, adding that she is still trying to improve her mind, and is hoping to do her best in the upcoming Olympics.
Egodawela named her biggest motivation to be her husband and thanked him for all her victories. As a mother of twins, she has to balance spending time with her kids and training, and during these times, her husband was a pillar of support. “When the kids were small, he never let me stay up and tire myself, he always told me to relax. Whenever there was a meet approaching, he didn’t even let me cook, and made me save my strength so I can do my best.”
She also added that even though he motivated her, there was no mental pressure for him, he always allowed her to pursue her dreams and even spent large amounts of money so she could attend her tours abroad. She emphasises that she is very lucky to have a husband as supportive and motivating as he is.
She had to make many sacrifices to come to such great heights, she told us that even on weekends, she never wanted to go home, and instead would push herself to practice for a few more hours. Even when her kids were born, she was on maternity leave for only a month before she went back to training. “Success does not stem from luck, it comes from making sacrifices to achieve your goals in life.”
She had many people who supported her journey; she thanked God, her parents, sibling and coaches for making her the woman she is today. But, not everyone was as supportive as her friends and family; she was constantly put down for being fat and was told other people would score more than her and that she is not good enough.
Again, Egodawela stressed that any sport is more to do with a strong mind than physical fitness. On this topic, she added, “Fear is my biggest motivation. Even though people told me I couldn’t do it, I used that to strengthen myself and achieve my dreams.” She also highlighted that in whatever you do, it is always best to have a 10-year plan, so you know what you want to achieve and you can begin taking the steps towards your success.
Her goal in life was to always make her supporters proud, and today, she can humbly say she did them justice.
Due to her outstanding performance, she was able to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, as she was at the forefront of the World Rankings for the Women’s 10m air rifle 0.177 event. She has indeed brought great honour to the Navy and the country by qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in the Women’s rifle event.
Egodawela, hailing from Wattala, is also the first Navy officer in history to participate in the Olympics, and in conversation with her, she commented that she is very proud to be a woman that is achieving such heights.
Egodawela is a Rifle Shooter for the Navy by profession. She wasn’t given much duty in the Navy, so she is paid to pursue her passion. “I am incredibly grateful to the Navy for providing me with this opportunity, and I plan to make them proud.”
When asked how she felt about such a huge achievement, she stated: “This is a huge opportunity, because, for someone that does sports, the Olympics is the greatest achievement. It’s everyone’s dream and I’m very happy I got this amazing opportunity.” She added that she plans to train hard and make her country proud.
Talking about the sport of rifle shooting, Egodawela explained that only a few people know that firing is a sport of the mind, more than one of physical exertion, “No matter how physically fit you are, you can’t do this if you’re not mentally fit,” she informed us, adding that she is still trying to improve her mind, and is hoping to do her best in the upcoming Olympics.
Egodawela named her biggest motivation to be her husband and thanked him for all her victories. As a mother of twins, she has to balance spending time with her kids and training, and during these times, her husband was a pillar of support. “When the kids were small, he never let me stay up and tire myself, he always told me to relax. Whenever there was a meet approaching, he didn’t even let me cook, and made me save my strength so I can do my best.”
She also added that even though he motivated her, there was no mental pressure for him, he always allowed her to pursue her dreams and even spent large amounts of money so she could attend her tours abroad. She emphasises that she is very lucky to have a husband as supportive and motivating as he is.
She had to make many sacrifices to come to such great heights, she told us that even on weekends, she never wanted to go home, and instead would push herself to practice for a few more hours. Even when her kids were born, she was on maternity leave for only a month before she went back to training. “Success does not stem from luck, it comes from making sacrifices to achieve your goals in life.”
She had many people who supported her journey; she thanked God, her parents, sibling and coaches for making her the woman she is today. But, not everyone was as supportive as her friends and family; she was constantly put down for being fat and was told other people would score more than her and that she is not good enough.
Again, Egodawela stressed that any sport is more to do with a strong mind than physical fitness. On this topic, she added, “Fear is my biggest motivation. Even though people told me I couldn’t do it, I used that to strengthen myself and achieve my dreams.” She also highlighted that in whatever you do, it is always best to have a 10-year plan, so you know what you want to achieve and you can begin taking the steps towards your success.
Her goal in life was to always make her supporters proud, and today, she can humbly say she did them justice.