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J.J. Rice, Olympic-Bound Kite Foil Racer, Dead at 18

The teenage athlete, who was set to represent Tonga at the upcoming Paris Games, died just weeks before his Olympic debut.

United States-born kitefoiler J.J. Rice, who was set to represent Tonga at the Paris Olympics, died in a diving accident. He was free diving from a boat when he suffered a suspected shallow water blackout, Matangi Tonga reported. In an Instagram post last month, Rice said he wanted 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."

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