Sister of Olympic hopeful J.J. Rice breaks her silence following his tragic accident.
Olympic Hopeful J.J. Rice Dead at 18 in Diving Accident
Jackson James “J.J.” Rice‘s family continues to mourn his death.
After the 18-year-old kitefoiler passed away in a diving accident on June 15 off the coast of Tonga, his sister Lily Rice was among many who paid tribute to J.J.
“I was blessed with the most amazing brother in the whole world,” she shared in a June 16 Facebook post. “I miss JJ beyond belief. I’m still in shock and I can’t believe it. It will take all of us who loved JJ a long time to feel okay again. JJ was the most amazing, funny, and unique person I’ve ever known, and I’m going to miss everything about him.”
She also spoke of his dream to one day compete on the Tongan Olympic team for kitefoil racing, saying, “He was an amazing kitefoiler and he had the potential to make it to the Olympics and win a shiny medal with an even bigger smile. I will do my best to apply what he taught me to be even a fraction as amazing as he was.”
In May, J.J. participated in the Last Chance Regatta in Hyères, France, where he aimed to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, but unfortunately fell just short.