18-year-old Olympic participant died in a surprise accident just days before he was due to “make history” at the Paris Games

Jackson James Rice’s family has confirmed that he died just weeks before he was due to “make history” with his performance.

Rice was expected to represent Tonga at the Olympic Games in Paris, France, at the tender age of 18.

He had qualified for a kite foil competition and was set to become the first white man to represent the small nation at the Olympics, CBS reported.

The 18-year-old, also known as JJ, died on Saturday (June 15) in Faleloa, Tonga, from a “suspected blackout in shallow water,” his father Darren Rice told local media.

According to the National Library of Medicine, a shallow water blackout is the loss of consciousness due to cerebral hypoxia “towards the end of a breath-hold dive in shallow water.”

Jackson James Rice had qualified for the kitefoil competition and was to be the first white man to represent the small nation at the Olympic Games. (Instagram/@jj__rice)

The cause is “typically hyperventilation immediately before a dive, which lowers carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and delays the diver’s urge to breathe.”

He was free diving from a boat when the tragic incident occurred. His body was found under the boat at 12:15 p.m. Subsequent attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

His sister Lily took to social media to express her heartfelt tribute to her brother.

She wrote on Facebook: “I was blessed with the greatest brother in the world and it pains me to say that he has passed away.

“I don’t even know what to say, I don’t know what to do or think. I miss JJ unbelievably, I’m shocked, I still can’t believe it and it’s going to take all of us who loved JJ for so long to be okay again.

“He was an incredible kitefoiler and would have made it to the Olympics and taken home a big shiny medal… he made so many great friends all over the world.

“I will do my best to apply what he taught me to be even a little bit as great as he was.”

Although Jackson was born in the USA to British parents, he grew up in Ha’apai and represented Tonga in numerous international kite foiling events over the years.

His family has since spoken out and confirmed the news of his death (Instagram/@jj__rice)

He told Matangi Tonga Online a month ago: “I have lived in Tonga all my life, I consider myself a Tongan.”

Speaking to the same source, his father recounted how his son, aged 15, once risked his life to rescue 18 people from a capsized boat off Faleoa in 2021.

The funeral will be announced at a later date, the publication reported.

Kitefoiling is one of the new disciplines making its debut at the Olympic Games this year.

The global beach games organization ANOC describes the sport as “a water sport (also on snow and on land) that combines aspects of sailing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing and paragliding into one extreme sport.”

Photo credit: Facebook/Lily Rice / Instagram/@jj__rice

Topics: Sports, Olympic Games, World News, News