An 18-year-old kitefoiler who dreamed of representing Tonga within the Olympics has died in a diving accident.
Jackson James Rice, a U.S.-born son of British dad and mom who grew up within the island nation, died Saturday from a suspected shallow water blackout, his father, Darren, instructed the Matangi Tonga newspaper.
Rice was free-diving from a ship when he suffered the suspected blackout. Divers discovered Rice’s physique on the ocean ground, and makes an attempt to resuscitate {the teenager} failed.
The Olympics formally begin July 26, and kitefoiling is ready to be a aggressive sport for the primary time. Rice reportedly got here in eighth at Sail Sydney in December and had excessive hopes of qualifying for the Paris Video games, however revealed in a social media put up dated Could 25 that “a couple of errors” on his half had put his Olympic desires on maintain till 2028.
Rice’s sister, Lily Rice, paid tribute to her brother on Fb, the place she mentioned he “was so proficient and was superb at every thing he tried” that he would have “made it to the Olympics and are available out with an enormous shiny medal.”
The Worldwide Kiteboarding Affiliation additionally honored Rice’s reminiscence on Fb, saying that “his ardour soared as excessive because the kites he rode.”
However Rice will probably be remembered in Tonga for greater than his athleticism.
Rice’s father instructed the Matangi Tonga that, again in 2021, his then-15-year-old son had tried to rescue individuals at sea when a ferryboat capsized, and that he had saved the lives of two women on one other event.