JJ Rice, kitefoiler with Olympic dreams, dies at 18 in diving accident

An 18-year-old kitefoiler who dreamed of representing Tonga at the Olympic Games has died in a diving accident.

Jackson James Rice, a U.S.-born son of British parents who grew up on the island, died on Saturday, probably from a power outage in shallow water, his father Darren told the Matangi Tonga newspaper.

Rice was freediving from a boat when he presumably blacked out. Divers found Rice’s body on the sea floor and attempts to resuscitate the teenager failed.

The Olympics officially begin on July 26, and will mark the first time that kitefoiling has been offered as a competitive sport. Rice reportedly finished eighth at Sail Sydney in December and had high hopes of qualifying for the Paris Games, but revealed in a May 25 social media post that “some mistakes” on his part had put his Olympic dreams on hold until 2028.

Rice’s sister Lily Rice paid tribute to her brother on Facebook, where she said he “was so talented and was great at everything he tried” that he “would have made it to the Olympics and come home with a big, shiny medal.”

The International Kiteboarding Association also paid tribute to Rice’s memory on Facebook, saying that “his passion was as great as the kites he rode.”

But Rice will be remembered in Tonga for more than just his athleticism.

Rice’s father told Matangi Tonga that in 2021 his son, then 15, had tried to rescue people at sea when a ferry capsized and that on another occasion he had saved the lives of two girls.