SINGAPORE – Winning a world title is hard, and it is even harder to win a second, but this is what motivates Singaporean kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder in his quest to retain his crown.
The 17-year-old is embracing the challenges with open arms ahead of the May 11-19 Formula Kite World Championships in Hyeres, France, en route to the Paris Olympics.
His world title in August 2023 at the quadrennial World Sailing Championships has whetted his appetite and spurred him to work harder to repeat the feat.
He said on April 26: “It’s going to be very difficult to try again at such a high-level event and still be able to do well. It’s a challenge for sure, it’s stimulating.”
Admitting the world title “changed” him, Maximilian added: “It’s very good. It’s a lot of desire to want to do well again, however difficult and however much you have to work for that. It’s for the better.”
He added on his triumphant outing in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 2023: “It was a mix of relief because the people who have supported me have really invested their time well, and I’ve managed to pull it off.
“But there is also a sense of expectation, as I know I would like to repeat this because of the nature of how I want to do the sport and how I want to compete.”
Maximilian is on a roll going into the world championships, after claiming another title on April 25 at the Qualified Nations Regatta, also in Hyeres, during the French Olympic Week.
Earlier in April, he won the Trofeo Princesa Sofia after titles at the Formula Kite European Championships in March and the KiteFoil International Open Cup in February.
At the Olympic Week, he needed just one attempt to win the first-to-three final, having already earned two race wins by qualifying first for the final.
He topped the opening series with seven wins in 13 races to record a net score of 13 points. Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek, the 2022 Formula Kite world champion, was second with 17 net points, earning the second spot in the final.
Frenchman Axel Mazella and German Jannis Maus, who finished third and fourth respectively in the opening series, filled the remaining two spots in the final.
Maximilian said of his latest achievement: “This is a very high-level event – it’s an Olympic simulation, that’s what is on everyone’s mind.
“It was a genuinely good event. There’s value in competing in an event like this because you get to have the experience of what the Olympic format will be like.”
Kitesurfing Association of Singapore president Ong Rong Quan attributed Maximilian’s strong start to the season to good preparation, mental focus to achieve his goals and his support system.
He added: “It’s a great tune-up event for Max. It gets him a little more acclimatised to the conditions and is a good preparation for the upcoming world championship, which we are sure he is excited to defend.”
Maximilian was also happy with the chance of competing alongside those in the Last Chance Regatta, the final qualifier for the Olympic Games. The field included his younger brother and fellow kitefoiler Karl, who represents Switzerland.
The other Singaporean representatives in the fray – 49erFX duo Kimberly Lim and Cecilia Low, as well as Nacra 17 pair Justin Liu and Denise Lim – did not make the cut for the Paris Olympics.
Kimberly Lim and Low placed eighth overall after coming in fifth in the medal race on April 26, while Liu and Denise Lim, sixth in the medal race, were ninth overall.
Also competing in the Qualified Nations Regatta, which is for sailors who have made the cut for the July 26-Aug 11 Paris Olympics, is fellow Singaporean Ryan Lo, who is now 19th in the ILCA 7 event.
