Maximilian Maeder

Last updated

Maximilian Maeder
Personal information
NationalityFlag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Born (2006-09-12) 12 September 2006 (age 17)
Singapore
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Weight91 kg (201 lb) [1]
Sailing career
Class Formula Kite
CoachJonny Dolenc
Competition record
Men's sailing
Representing Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Olympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2024 Paris Formula Kite
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2024 Hyères Formula Kite
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 The Hague Formula Kite
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2022 Cagliari Formula Kite
Asian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Hangzhou Formula Kite
Youth World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Buzios Formula Kite
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 The Hague Formula Kite
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Al Masnaah Formula Kite

Maximilian Maeder (born 12 September 2006) is a Singaporean kitesurfer. [2] He is the reigning Formula Kite World, Asian [3] and European champion and holds the distinction of being the youngest winner in any Olympic sailing class competition, achieving this remarkable feat at the age of 16. He competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the inaugural men's formula kite event, where he reached the finals and won the bronze medal. [4] Maeder is also a three-time Formula Kite youth world champion in consecutive years from 2021 to 2023 [5] and won various open championships across Europe, Asia and Pan America. [6]

Contents

Early life

Maeder was born in Singapore to a family with mixed Eurasian heritage. His father, Valentin Maeder, is an ethnic Swiss German who emigrated to Singapore and became a Singaporean, and his mother, Teng Hwee Keng, is Singaporean. [7] He is the eldest among his siblings and has two younger brothers. [7] At the age of six, his father introduced him to kiteboarding. [8] When he was 10, his father encouraged him to venture into kitefoiling, a more advanced form of the sport. By the age of 11, Maeder had already competed in his first competitive pro racing. [2]

Career

2018–2021: Early career and World #1

Maeder's achievements began when he won his first competitive tournament in the Formula Kite Asian Championships in 2018. [8] He later emerged victorious at various tournaments such as the 2021 Formula Kite Youth World Championships (U19), Formula Kite Individual European Championships, Youth Sailing World Championships and KiteFoil World Series. [6] He also took part in his first Formula Kite World Championships in the same year, where he finished fifth. [9] On 20 September 2021, Maeder achieved his highest IKA - Formula Kite men's ranking of World No.1. [10] [11]

2022: World Championships silver

In 2022, success continued to follow with his second Formula Kite Youth World Championships (U21), Youth Sailing World Championships and Formula Kite Individual European Championships titles, as well his first Formula Kite Asia-Pacific Championships, Formula Kite Pan American Championships and Semaine Olympique Francaise De Voile victories. [6] In his second appearance at the Formula Kite World Championships, he finished as runner-up to Slovenia's Toni Vodišek. [12] [13]

2023: World and Asian Champions

In 2023, Maeder began his new season by winning the World Cup Series held on the Spanish island of Mallorca. [14] In July, he achieved a significant milestone by capturing his third consecutive Formula Kite Youth World Championships victory. [11] [15] Additionally, in August, Maeder also secured his first Formula Kite World Championships title. [16] This accomplishment came as he defeated his rival, Toni Vodišek, and set a new record as the youngest winner in any Olympic sailing class competition, all at the age of 16. [4] Maeder good form continued at the delayed 2022 Asian Games where he won Singapore's first gold medal at the quadrennial games. [3] He finished the season strongly by winning the KiteFoil World Series and clinching his third Youth Sailing World Championships title. [17]

2024: Consecutive World title and Olympic debut

Maeder, who was ranked 6th in the world at the time, opened the 2024 season by winning the European Championships. [18] He followed this success with victories at the World Cup Series [19] and the Semaine Olympique Française De Voile. [20] In May, he claimed his second Formula Kite World Championships title by overcoming Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi, the world’s top-ranked Formula Kite men’s sailor, who finished in second place ahead of Austria’s Valentin Bontus. [20] [21] That same year, Maeder debuted at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, competing in the Men's Formula Kite. [22]

Maeder won a bronze medal on 9 August 2024, Singapore's National Day, becoming the youngest Olympic medalist of Singapore at the age of 17. [23]

Personal life

In addition to his native English, Maeder also understands Mandarin, German and French. [8] In 2024, he was granted a deferment from his National Service (NS) obligations where he could continue to train and compete until after the 2028 Summer Olympics. [24]

Awards and nominations

Maeder was nominated for the following lists and awards :

See also

Related Research Articles

The Singapore Sailing Federation, also known as SingaporeSailing, is the National Sports Association (NSA) responsible for the management and organisation of the sport of sailing in Singapore.

The Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) is the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the Republic of Singapore. It was founded in 1947 as the Singapore Olympic and Sports Council (SOSC) before renaming to its current iteration in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore at the Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Singapore has sent athletes to the celebration of the Olympic Games since 1948, when it was established as a separate British crown colony from the Straits Settlements just over three months before the commencement of the 1948 Summer Olympics. It continued to send a team to the Games until 1964 when the Singaporean delegation competed with Malaysia, which sent a combined team.

Mark Chay Jung Jun is a Singaporean freestyle swimmer who has represented the country in the SEA Games and Summer Olympics. His international swimming career began at the 1997 SEA Games and concluded at 2005 SEA Games. He has competed in a total of seven SEA Games, two Asian Games, two Commonwealth Games and two Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Schooling</span>

Sim, Dewey. "Tokyo Olympics: Singapore president springs to Schooling's defence". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Kwek</span> Singaporean filmmaker (born 1979)

Ken Kwek is a Singaporean screenwriter, director, playwright and author. His short film compendium, Sex.Violence.FamilyValues, was banned by the Singapore and Malaysian governments in 2012. His first feature film Unlucky Plaza premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. His second feature #LookAtMe premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival in 2022, to critical acclaim. He has written several full-length plays, including the #MeToo drama, This Is What Happens To Pretty Girls, which premiered in Singapore in 2019. He is also the author of several best-selling children’s books including Kelly and the Krumps, which won the Hedwig Anuar Book Award in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeo Jia Min</span> Singaporean badminton player

Yeo Jia Min is a Singaporean badminton player. She is a former World Junior No.1 and the first Singaporean in either the junior or senior categories to made it to the top of the BWF's ranking system.

Kwek Wei Meng, Leon (郭伟民) is a Singaporean basketball player who plays for the Singapore Slingers in the Asean Basketball League (ABL). When he first joined the Singapore Slingers in 2015, he was only aged 19. In the 2016/2017 ABL season, he had a breakout year while leading the Singapore Slingers in scoring among locals. Leon was selected to join the Singapore National Basketball Youth team at the age of 14, and is an active member of the Singapore National Basketball Men's team. Kwek is currently the captain of the Singapore Basketball Men's team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soh Rui Yong</span> Singaporean long-distance runner (born 1991)

Soh Rui Yong, Guillaume is a Singaporean national long-distance runner, and holder of six national records: 5,000m, 10,000m, half marathon and marathon. Soh has been described as the "most outstanding long-distance runner in our history" by the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, hailing Soh's "mental stamina".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loh Kean Yew</span> Singaporean badminton player

Loh Kean Yew OLY is a Singaporean badminton player. He is the former men's singles world champion, winning the title at the 2021 BWF World Championships, becoming the first Singaporean to achieve this feat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amita Berthier</span> Singaporean fencer (born 2000)

Amita Marie Nicolette Berthier OLY is a Singaporean, left-handed foil fencer. She attended the University of Notre Dame from 2018 to 2023, clinching 4 individual NCAA Fencing Championships medals. Representing Singapore, Berthier has won 3 SEA Games gold medals and qualified for 2 Olympic Games.

Benjamin James Davis is a Thai professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Thai League 1 side Uthai Thani and the Thailand national team.

Jonathan Chan Fan Keng is a Singaporean former diver. He competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics after his qualification through a victory in the 2019 Asian Diving Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 8 September 2019. He is the first Singaporean diver to have qualified for the Olympic Games. Due to his Olympic qualification, Chan was nominated for the Straits Times Athlete of the Year award in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Brian Louis</span> Singaporean sprinter

Marc Brian Louis is a Singaporean athlete specialising in sprints and hurdles. He is the current national record holder for the 100 m (10.27s) and 60 m (6.69s).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore at the 2024 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Singapore is competing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. It will be the nation's eighteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1948 Games. Singapore has competed in every edition since except 1964 in Tokyo, as part of Malaysia team, and 1980 in Moscow, because of its support for the United States boycott.

Breiana Whitehead is an Olympic kitesurfer from Australia. She was the first athlete selected for the Australian team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Julia Damasiewicz is a Polish formula kitesurfer. She was the European champion in 2020.

Maggie Eillen Pescetto is an Italian Formula Kite sailor who took the silver position at the Kite Open Africa and Middle East Championship in 2022. She was nominated for Olympic competition at formula kite in 2024.

Riccardo Pianosi is an Italian kitesurfer who competes in the Formula Kite category. He won two medals in the Formula Kite World Championship, in 2021 and 2024, and two medals in the Formula Kite European Championship, in 2023 and 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 "Maximilian Maeder - Forward Wip". Forward Wip. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Maximilian Maeder Sailing.Org Profile". World Sailing . Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder wins Singapore's first gold medal at Asian Games". Channel News Asia. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Max Maeder: An athlete for four seasons". World Sailing . Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "16-year-old Singapore kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder crowned world champion". Channel News Asia. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Results". World Sailing . Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Raising Independent Children". ActiveSG Circle. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Just 15, Maximilian Maeder could well be Singapore's next Olympic medallist, The Straits Times , retrieved 24 August 2023
  9. ↑ "2021 Formula Kite World Championships". formulakite.org. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Ranking History". World Sailing . Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder earns first sailing spot at Paris Olympics for Singapore". Yahoo! News. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  12. ↑ Kwek, Kimberly (16 October 2022). "Kitefoiling: Maximilian Maeder wins silver at Formula Kite World Championships". The Straits Times . Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "First world title for Vodisek, No.6 for Moroz". formulakite.org. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Winners all but Trofeo Princesa Sofia goes to Singapore's Formula Kite rider Max Maeder". trofeoprincesasofia.org. 8 April 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Singapore and France blazing to the top of the [youth] world!". formulakite.org. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  16. ↑ Kwek, Kimberly (20 August 2023). "Double joy as kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder wins world title, gets Olympic quota spot". The Straits Times . Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  17. ↑ Ang, Ervin (16 December 2023). "Singapore kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder wraps up successful year with Youth Sailing World Championships title". The Straits Times . Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  18. ↑ Teoh, Melvyn (24 March 2024). "Singaporean sailor Maximilian Maeder wins 2024 Formula Kite European Championships". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  19. ↑ Ganesan, Deepanraj (7 April 2024). "Singaporean kitefoiler Max Maeder collects wins, and experience, ahead of Olympics". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  20. 1 2 Rifhan, Khalis (20 May 2024). "Max Maeder retains Formula Kite World Championships". The Independent Singapore News. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  21. ↑ "'An experience to remember': Singapore's Maximilian Maeder hungry for more after second straight world title". CNA. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  22. ↑ Mohan, Matthew (8 July 2024). "How Olympic medal hope Max Maeder was raised as a 'decision-maker' – who would choose Singapore 'over and over again'". CNA. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  23. ↑ "Kitefoiler Max Maeder clinches Olympic bronze, makes history as Singapore's youngest Games medallist". CNA. 9 August 2024.
  24. ↑ "Singapore world champion kitefoiler Max Maeder granted National Service deferment". CNA. 6 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  25. ↑ Chia, Laura (1 April 2022). "ST Athlete of the Year: Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder rises above and beyond". The Straits Times . Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  26. ↑ Chia, Laura (29 March 2023). "ST Athlete of the Year nominee: Maximilian Maeder's letter to his future self". The Straits Times . Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  27. ↑ Ganesan, Deepanraj (10 November 2022). "Loh Kean Yew wins his first Sportsman of the Year award". The Straits Times . Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  28. ↑ "Feng Tianwei, Sheik Farhan win sportswoman and sportsman of the year awards for 2023". Channel News Asia. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  29. ↑ Teoh, Melvyn (18 October 2023). "Champion kitefoiler Max Maeder is first Singaporean nominated for World Sailor of the Year". The Straits Times . Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  30. ↑ Kwek, Kimberly (4 June 2024). "Sprinter Shanti Pereira, bowler Darren Ong win top accolades at 2024 Singapore Sports Awards". The Straits Times . Retrieved 8 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.