Eighteen-year-old Shehana Vithana is Australia's top-ranked junior female squash player. She started playing as a child because her parents believed she had too much energy.
"When I first started, I didn't think that I could actually make it to number one in the country," she said.
"Now that I have, I'm like, 'Wow there's a lot more that I can do!' There's so much more that I can do, and it is actually possible, and it's a great feeling knowing that I have it in me and I just have to believe it and work towards it."
Born in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, Vithana migrated to Australia four years ago with her mother and younger sister.
It was a decision made to help her pursue a career in physiotherapy.
Her father, Arosha, didn't make the move due to his role in the Sri Lankan Air Force, but she is grateful for the opportunity.
"I didn't really see the positives as much when I first moved here. It was just more, 'Oh my gosh, it's so hard. I just want to go back.' But, now, I do see the good in what my parents have done for us," she told SBS World News.
Vithana says she is determined to repay the faith shown by her parents. And, as part of that, she actually rejected the chance to represent Australia on the world stage.
"I actually got chosen last year as well for the team, but it was right in the middle of HSC trials, so I had to... I prioritised school over squash last year. And that was one of the hardest things I'd ever done, because the team went to Poland, and I'd see all these photos on Facebook and stuff and I'd be like, 'Oh no!'"
She will get the opportunity to play for her adopted country at the Junior Squash World Championships in New Zealand later in July.
It's there that she hopes to impress scouts and secure a scholarship at a prestigious Ivy League university in the United States.
Shehana Vithana's family in Colombo, Sri Lanka Source: Supplied
Following that, Vithana says, she is aiming to play for Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and, potentially, the 2024 Olympics.
"Hopefully I'll have the opportunity of going up to some scouts or maybe they'll approach me," Vithana said.
"At first, I was like, 'Wow, the Olympics!' But now that I've gotten to this level, it's really helped me realise that it is actually possible. And, yeah, it would mean a lot... it would mean so much to be able to make it to the Olympics."
