Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder wins Singapore’s first gold medal at Asian Games
Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder at the Asian Games on Sep 27, 2023. (File photo: SportSG/Jeremy Lee)
NINGBO, China: 16 races, 16 victories.
And when it came to the final race of the men’s formula kite event, world champion kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder did not even have to compete to win Singapore’s first gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday (Sep 27).
In his Games debut, the 17-year-old topped all his races in the lead-up to the last day of racing.
Poor weather conditions meant the final race on Wednesday was called off and the Singaporean teenager was declared the overall winner.
“I was definitely excited to continue to compete and give it one last race,” he told reporters.
“But conditions are what they are, and I am no less happy for sure.”
China’s Zhang Haoran took silver, while Thailand’s Joseph Weston claimed bronze.
Maeder has been in sizzling form this year. Last month, he clinched gold in the men's kite event at the Sailing World Championships in the Netherlands.
His results at the event also meant that he confirmed a quota spot for Singapore at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A quota place guarantees that an athlete from Singapore will be competing in the event at the Olympics.
“I'm so happy to be able to compete here at the Asian Games for the first time. I mean, what an experience,” said Maeder.
“I was really supported by the team and I really felt the team spirit as well. And I think that plays a big part in the result here … Great team spirit, great pride in my nation, and so far, so good.”
What is kitefoiling?
It is a watersport in which a rider uses a board with a mast and two wings on the bottom, called a hydrofoil, to "fly" above the water surface.
The kitefoiler holds onto a large controllable power kite, harnessing the wind to move forward. The rider stays secured on the board with the help of footstraps.
The difference between kitefoiling and kiteboarding is that the latter does not have a hydrofoil attached, and requires the rider's board to skim directly on the surface of water.
Kitefoiling will make its Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Games, 26 years after the first competition was held on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Speaking to reporters, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong praised Maeder’s maturity.
“That young man has got such a mature head on his shoulders, very forward-looking. And certainly very focused on his end outcome,” he said.
“I'm happy for him, but at the same time, I think this just signals that he now has a target on his back. People will now look out for him and will want to challenge him and beat him.
"So given this, I think the pressure will be on him, but I'm quite confident that Max and his team will be able to overcome this.”
Earlier in the day, Victoria Chan added to the sailors’ impressive medal tally after she took a bronze in the Women’s ILCA 6 event. Chan’s medal race was also cancelled.
Just after Maeder, sailor Ryan Lo doubled Singapore’s gold haul with victory in the ILCA7 event.
Singapore’s sailors will now head home with two golds, two silvers and three bronzes, a jump from the one gold and one bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
