Rice track and field’s Erna Gunnarsdottir competed on the world stage Aug. 8, representing her home country of Iceland and Rice University in the shot put at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The four-time NCAA All-American finished 20th out of 32 in the qualification round. Gunnarsdottir became Iceland’s first ever Olympic female shot putter after setting an Icelandic record in the Icelandic Championships with a throw of 17.91m (just under 59 feet).
Making the cut for the Olympics was a long process for Gunnarsdottir, traveling weekend after weekend to different countries for international meets. But the work ultimately paid off for the recent Rice graduate.
“I managed to do really well, but I really didn't know if I did enough to get me into the Olympics,” Gunnarsdottir said. “I later got the call that I had made it, 31st out of 32 (who qualified).
“I was just insanely happy. I was jumping with joy, quite literally,” she said.
Rice track and field head coach Jim Bevan credited Gunnarsdottir’s demeanor and work habits for her improvement to become such a high-level shot putter. Her throwing distance improved a whopping six feet from her first year to her second year at Rice, and continued to climb from there.
“She is the poster child for track and field in Iceland, and for all the younger Icelandic athletes to look up to,” Bevan said. “And I think that's a huge thing to represent the whole country. We were lucky to have someone like Erna come to our program and compete for Rice.”
During her Rice career from 2018-23, Gunnarsdottir earned nine all-conference honors, five conference titles and four All-American honors. She ranks second all-time in both indoor and outdoor shot put at Rice.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2022 and a master’s degree in global affairs from Rice in 2023.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Gunnarsdottir said. “It's a dream to represent your country, and to do so on such a big stage is incredible.”