An 18-year-old kite foil racing star passed away this weekend in a tragic accident. His name is Jackson James Rice and he died only weeks before his Olympics debut in Paris.
He was to represent Tonga as the first caucasian to compete for Tonga at the Olympics games.
The kite foiler died June 15 while free diving from a boat in Faleloa, Tonga. The accident was most likely a shallow water blackout.
Per the National Library of Medicine, a “shallow water blackout is a loss of consciousness caused by cerebral hypoxia towards the end of a breath-hold dive in shallow water. It is typically caused by hyperventilating just before a dive, which lowers the carbon dioxide (CO2) level and delays the diver’s urge to breathe.”
It has been reported that Rice’s body was found underneath the boat and there were several unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate Rice.
His sister Lily Rice took to Facebook and posted in memory of her brother on Sunday.
She said, “I was blessed with the most amazing brother in the whole world and it pains me to say that he’s passed away…..Jj was the most amazing funny unique person I’ve ever known and I’m going to miss everything about him he was so talented and was amazing at everything he tried 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 he was amazing at fixing everything….”
Rice was born in the United States to British parents before they moved to Tonga. His parents manage a hotel in Ha’apai, He viewed himself as Tongan.
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The kite foil star qualified for the Olympics when he placed 8th at a Sail Sydney event.
Kite foil racing is a form of competitive kitesurfing that involves riders using hydrofoils to race over water. This sport combines the excitement of kitesurfing with the advanced technology of hydrofoil boards, This allows for higher speeds and efficient movement across different water conditions.
