Kite Foil Racer Dies in Accident Just Weeks Before Olympic Debut

A tragic accident has claimed the life of a promising young kite foil racer, just weeks before he was to make his debut at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris.

Jackson James Rice, 18, or "JJ" to those who knew him, had been free diving from a boat on Saturday on the island of Ha'apai, Tonga, when the accident occurred from a suspected shallow water blackout (a loss of consciousness due to hypoxia), his father Darren Rice confirmed to Matangi Tonga Online. Divers located his body on the seafloor underneath the boat around 12:15 p.m., however attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

Kite foil racing, or kitefoiling, is similar to kitesurfing, but adds a hydrofoil under the board that allows the rider to "kite" along above the surface of the water. It's also faster than kiteboarding or kitesurfing, since the foil cuts through the water with minimal drag, also making it easier to perform quick turns and acrobatic stunts.

Rice, a naturalized Tongan who was born in the United States to British parents, had just returned from competing in the 2024 Formula Kite World Championships in Hyères, in the South of France. He had represented the island nation in kitefoiling international events for several years, and was likewise would have represented Tonga at the Summer Games. This was also the first year that kitefoiling was to be featured as a sport in the Olympics.

"I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported, mentored, given me a couch to stay on and pushed me to my absolute limit," Rice wrote on Instagram last month following his European tour.

Rice's sister Lily reportedly paid tribute to the young athlete in a Facebook post on Sunday.

"I was blessed with the most amazing brother in the whole world and it pains me to say that he’s passed away," she wrote. "He was an amazing kitefoiler and he would have made it to the Olympics and come out with a big shiny medal. He made so many amazing friends all over the world."