'He was so talented': US-born Olympic hopeful in kite foiling dies in diving accident

A rising U.S. born athlete who hoped to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games next month, died in a diving accident over the weekend, his family confirmed.

Jackson James Rice, who went by J.J., was 18 and competed in the sport kite foiling, according to information from his family and his Facebook page.

Kite foiling allows a person to "fly above the water on hydrofoils" attached to boards powered by large kites, according to the Royal Yachting Association, the national governing body for sports including sail cruising and sail racing. With a rider, boards can reach speeds up to 45 knots.

The athlete's father, Darren Rice, told the Matangi Tonga his son died of suspected shallow water blackout Saturday while free diving from a boat at Faleloa, Ha'apai.

Faleloa is in Tonga, an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania.

Other divers found his body on the seafloor underneath the boat at about 12:15 p.m., the outlet reported, and attempts to resuscitate him failed.

USA TODAY has reached out to Rice's family.

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'I was blessed with the most amazing brother'

According to the newspaper, the athlete was born in the United States, grew up in Ha'apai and represented Tonga in kite foiling at international events "for several years."

In a Facebook post late last month, the late athlete wrote he competed in The Last Chance Reggata in Hyeres, France.

"This is where the remaining 5 spots for the Olympic games were to be handed out and everybody was on the top of their game and pushing to the absolute limit to qualify," J.J. Rice wrote May 25. "After a few mistakes on my part and not being able to keep with the front pack my Olympics dream for this Olympics cycle has come to an end, that doesn't mean it is the end for me. With another cycle just around the corner in 2028 I will be training as hard as possible."

In a Saturday post on Facebook, the late athlete's sister, Lily Rice, remembered her brother as a loving, amazing funny and unique individual with a global host of friends "because he was so lovable."

"I was blessed with the most amazing brother in the whole world and it pains me to say that he’s passed away," his sister posted in a tribute to her late brother. "He was so talented... He was an amazing kite foiler and he would have made it to the Olympics and come out with a big shiny medal and a even bigger smile."

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kite foiling competitor J.J. Rice, dies in diving accident in Tonga