On Aug 9, 2024, Maximillian Maeder clinched the bronze medal for kitefoiling, a sport that made its debut in this year’s Paris Olympics. This is Singapore’s third bronze, and its sixth Olympic medal ever. At 17, he is also Singapore’s youngest Olympic medallist.
Held in Marseille, Max’s qualifying races took place from Aug 4 - 7, with the final races held on Aug 8 - 9.
He spoke to The Straits Times right after the third race of the finals. He said that while he still needs to process everything, he’s looking forward to what’s next and will keep bringing joy through his sport.
An analysis of Max’s
defining moments from
the first race of the finals
Max won the bronze medal in the third race of the finals. Prior to this, he was placing high consistently in the qualifying races, securing his place in the finals.
In the finals, Max placed second in the first and second races, but in the third race, he finished third. According to local kitefoilers who watched his race together in Singapore at the National Sailing Centre, it may have been because he decided to switch to a smaller kite, hoping for stronger winds. Instead, there was a drop, causing him to lose speed.
Mr Harun Talikov, vice-president of the Kitesurfing Association of Singapore (KAS), and Mr Arthur Phan, a KAS member, analysed how the first race of the finals unfolded. In that race, Max showed his ability to regain ground after a difficult start.
Max, indicated in red, had a slower start than the rest when the timer went off.
“Right before the start… I went from foiling (and) basically crashed into the water… I managed to recover immediately, come back up and so yes, I was slower for a couple of seconds, meaning that everyone went ahead,” Max explained.
Mr Talikov and Mr Phan pointed out that Max might have chosen to chase down Vodisek, who at that point, needed only one race win to get gold.
Here, Max did a tack, in preparation to round the first mark.
A tack is a change in direction against the wind. For this manoeuvre, precision is key, as there is the risk of not getting enough pull from the kite or mistiming it.
To perform a tack, Max would have to first move his kite up and start turning into the wind.
He would have to then switch his feet, and face the other direction as he continues the turn.
He would need to bring the kite back down to accelerate as he finishes the turn.
After rounding the first mark, Max did a jibe in preparation to round the next one.
A jibe is a change in direction initiated downwind. This is done at higher speeds as the kitefoiler is travelling with the wind. This move has to be done decisively, or a crash is imminent.
To do a jibe, Max would have to ensure his kite rises before doing a footswitch to give him stability.
Max would then invert his standing position and turn with the wind.
To complete a jibe, the kite would come down and loop around, with Max following it to change his direction.
During this downwind run, Max, being in third place, tried to catch up, and kept a distance from Pianosi and Bontus, said Mr Talikov.
This was where Max managed to overtake Pianosi, placing him in second.
Max did another tack here, in time with the other competitors.
Kitefoilers tend not to do too many tacks or jibes during a leg to save time, to retain position and to keep their momentum, explained Mr Talikov.
Mr Talikov also said that most kitefoilers try to keep within two jibes or tacks per leg – all four kitefoilers in this race were consistent in this aspect.
Towards the end of the race, Max maintained his lead in second place, after starting off in fourth.
This was the last mark that Max had to round off before reaching the finish line – Bontus was ahead of him.
Max finished the race with a timing of 6:02, putting him in second place for the first race of the finals. He finished second in the second race, and took the third position in the third race.
How Max’s consistency
got him through the
kitefoiling race system
The path to his bronze medal wasn’t a straightforward one. Max was able to maintain a consistent position throughout the qualifying races to secure his place in the finals, even with a ripped wetsuit as well as poor wind conditions, which resulted in multiple delays.
I think I spend most of the time thinking about how I can perform best around the race course and what type of decisions I would want to make.
Scroll down to see how Max did from the opening series to the medal series, following the kitefoiling race system.
20 kitefoilers, including Max, competed against one another in the qualifying stage of the Olympics over seven races from Aug 4 to Aug 7.
The qualifying stage uses a low-point system, with points awarded based on the kitefoiler’s position in each race. For example, if the kitefoiler finishes first, he will be given one point.
Kitefoilers can also discard their two highest scores after seven races – for instance, Max discarded a race he did not finish on Aug 4 due to him running into a kite that fell in front of him.
The top 10 kitefoilers from the qualifying stage progressed to the next stage of the regatta.
Max ranked second out of 10, with a total of 15 net points from the opening series.
Toni Vodisek, with a total of 12 net points, and Max were able to proceed straight to the finals…
...while the other eight were placed in either semi-final A or B, depending on their standing in the opening series.
The kitefoilers who placed third, sixth, seventh and 10th in the qualifying round went to semi-final A, while the rest were placed in B.
The first to three match points in each semi-final would secure their spot in the finals. To win a race is to earn a match point.
The kitefoilers who finished third and fourth in the opening series, Riccardo Pianosi and Valentin Bontus, entered the semi-finals with two match points each...
...the fifth and sixth kitefoilers, Jannis Maus and Axel Mazella, each got one match point...
...the rest – Bruno Lobo, Connor Bainbridge, Markus Edegran and Huang Qibin – got no points.
They raced until one of the kitefoilers got three match points.
The winners of each of semi-final, Pianosi and Bontus, then advanced to the finals.
Again, to win, one has to be the first to get three match points. The top kitefoiler from the qualifying round, Vodisek, already had two match points...
...the runner-up, Max, got one match point...
...and the winners of the semi-finals, Pianosi and Bontus, got no match points.
The winner is decided when one of the kitefoilers earns three match points in the finals. In this case, Bontus won the three match points first, clinching him the gold.
Max’s kitefoiling achievements
It has been a year-long journey since Max qualified for the Olympics in the world championships in 2023 to winning the bronze medal in Paris.
August 2023
Sailing World Championships 2023
Max secures his Olympic quota spot at the Sailing World Championships at The Hague en route to clinching his first senior world title. At 16, he is the youngest winner of a world championship in any Olympic class.
September 2023
Asian Games 2023
A fortnight after his 17th birthday, Max produces a dominant performance in his Asian Games debut, winning all 16 of his races in the lead-up to the medal series. He secures the gold after bad weather conditions prevent any racing on the final day of the regatta at the Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Centre.
October 2023
World Sailing’s Male Sailor of the Year 2023 nominee
Max is the first Singaporean to be nominated for World Sailing’s Male Sailor of the Year award. Australian Tom Slingsby eventually wins the accolade for the third time after guiding Team Australia to their third consecutive SailGP title.
November 2023
Formula Kite Asia and Oceania Championships 2023
After a few regattas in Europe, Max returns to China for the Formula Kite Asia and Oceania Championships, earning a silver after finishing behind Chinese gold medallist Huang Qibin in Shenzhen.
December 2023
KiteFoil World Series 2023
Max is crowned the overall winner of the KiteFoil World Series after emerging victorious in the Zhuhai leg. He had also won the previous two stops in Austria and Italy in October.
December 2023
Youth Sailing World Championships 2023
He wins his third successive Youth Sailing World Championships, wrapping up a brilliant 2023 season.
February 2024
Fuerteventura KiteFoil International Open Cup 2024
New year, same Max. He bags the gold at the Fuerteventura KiteFoil International Open Cup at the Canary Islands, his first event of the new season.
March 2024
Formula Kite European Championships 2024
In his first major test ahead of the Paris Olympics, Max wins his third Formula Kite European Championships title. His dominance – winning 18 of 20 races in the opening series – earns him comparisons to Formula One’s Max Verstappen from his rivals.
April 2024
Trofeo Princesa Sofia 2024
Max continues his winning start at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Spain by retaining his Formula Kite title. While some rivals have chosen to skip events to focus on their training, Max has opted to pack his schedule to gain more experience ahead of the Olympics.
April 2024
His winning streak goes on as he triumphs at the Qualified Nations Regatta during the French Olympic Week, the penultimate event before his world championships defence.
May 2024
Sailing World Championships 2024
Max aces his biggest test before Paris 2024 as he retains his world championships crown in Hyeres, France. After winning 15 of his 18 races in the opening series, he needed just one race in the first-to-three final to seal a commanding victory.
Aug 2024
Paris Olympics 2024
Low wind conditions plague kitefoiling’s Olympic debut at Marseille, resulting in only seven of the 16 races in the opening series taking place. Max places among the top five for 5 of these races, after discarding two races. He secures his place in the finals by finishing in the top two in the opening series, with a net point of 15. In the dramatic finals which stretch over two days due to poor wind conditions, he finishes in second place for both the first and second final races, and third for the third race. He wins his first Olympic bronze medal, and the first sailing medal for Singapore.
Find out more about
kitefoiling!
The digital graphics team and the sports desk at ST produced an ultimate guide on what you need to know about kitefoiling here.
Along with the video team, we also analysed what makes Max so good at his sport in another interactive here.
