Olympic Genes

STARKVILLE – Growing up around greatness has an effect on you. You can see it in Mississippi State javelin thrower DJ Jónsson.

Jónsson has a unique family situation – he is surrounded by athletes, most of a high caliber.

His mother, Martha Ernstdóttir, is a long-distance runner who competed in the marathon at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. She now coaches distance runners.

His father, Jón Oddsson, was a member of both the Icelandic men's national soccer team and the track and field national team, competing in the long and triple jumps. He now coaches jumpers and sprinters for the national team.

His brothers, Darri Kristmundsson and Jon Orri Jónsson, both older than him, competed in judo and handball, respectively. Kristmundsson was the Nordic Champion in judo and went to the Small States of Europe Games.

His cousin, Aníta Hinriksdóttir, is a professional athlete, running middle-distance. She competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio in the 800m and previously held the national record. Hinriksdóttir and Jónsson grew up together, and he regards their relationship to be more like that of brother and sister than cousins. Hinriksdóttir's mom also used to compete, though not on an international level.

He points it all back to his amma, or grandmother: Thorbjorg Bjarnadottir, his mother's mother. He gives her all the credit as a single mom to three children who have lived successful lives. She herself has found athletic success in her later years. She holds records in the 10,000m for the 60 and older category.

Though he has two Olympians in his family and strives to be one himself, he feels no burden to do so.

"It all came from me, the pressure," said Jónsson. "They would not have pressured me. I've always had the big dreams. It did not come from them. I didn't think about it much, to be honest, her going to the Olympics. It was just a thing that she did. I was three, so I don't remember it."

The 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney was a significant one for Iceland. The nation earned the second track and field medal in its history when Vala Flosadóttir won bronze in the women's pole vault.

One of Iceland's four medals in all sports is held by someone within arm's reach of DJ – his coach's father won Iceland's first Olympic medal, and first in track and field. Vilhjálmur Einarsson earned silver for the men's triple jump at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Einar Vilhjálmsson competed in the Olympics three times for the javelin: at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain, the 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea, and the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. He is Jónsson's coach, as well as Sindri Guðmundsson's.

"We started training together in 2014 I think," recalled Jónsson. "We've been friends ever since. It's really nice having Sindri [at Mississippi State with me]. We know each other pretty well and we have the same foundation. It's really nice to train with him and we talk to each other about training. It's good to chase him. It's easier to train with someone else because of the chasing aspect. I was alone most of the time in Iceland, I sometimes had someone to train with, but they were usually a lot worse than me. It's definitely a big change to have practice become competition."

Jónsson's journey with track and field started at a young age. He remembers his mother telling him about how he used to play in the jumps pit while his parents were training as early as three months old.

He started himself on the javelin, however. At 10 years old, he threw his first jav. He thinks he threw it pretty far but said that his overall reaction was that this was the sport for him. He's been competing ever since.

Jónsson competed in the European Youth Olympic Trials in 2014 and then competed in the European U23 Championships in 2017 and 2019, throwing the Icelandic under 23 record in 2019. He won two Icelandic national titles, coming in 2017 and 2020, and was the Small States of Europe Champion in 2019.

In 2020, he was contemplating his next steps.

"Because of COVID, we were locked out of our gyms for six weeks in March in Iceland," said Jónsson. "It's cold in March in Iceland. I was wishing I was somewhere else. During the winter, I just throw the javelin into a net, I never get to see it fly. It became a hard transition, throwing for six months into a net and then all of a sudden only getting a month where I had clear skies. I started thinking about where I could train outside the whole year. I wasn't good enough to go pro yet, so I was thinking about coming to America."

Jónsson knew about Mississippi State before Guðmundsson transferred to Starkville because of Bulldog great Anderson Peters. When he had the opportunity to become a Bulldog himself, everything fell into place.

Now he has had the chance to throw alongside Peters. Though, the 24-year-old wasn't in awe. He confessed with a slight chuckle that he tries not to get starstruck because he wants to beat them. As well as the fact that he and Peters are the same age.

Jónsson has the Olympics as one of his goals. Mississippi State is here to help.

"It's extra motivating to come to a school that has javelin in such a high regard," said Jónsson. "I really haven't experienced anything like that. It's really cool that we're putting javelin in the spotlight like we are."

The upcoming 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will feature both Peters and Curtis Thompson competing in the javelin. The first two javelin thrower Olympians since Lee Priester who threw in the 1924 Games in Paris, France.

With those two former Bulldogs, Jónsson, Guðmundsson, as well as Tyriq Horsford, there's a possibility you could see more than just two Mississippi State javelin throwers in the next Summer Olympics, the 2024 Games in Paris.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Tyriq Horsford

DJ Jónsson

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