MARSEILLE — All through the week in Marseille, Maximilian Maeder has slogged in the summer heat under intense pressure, his emotions concealed behind his googles and black full-face mask.
Even minutes after clinching a bronze in the Formula Kite event on Aug 9, few knew what the 17-year-old was feeling as he came onto the shore.
And it was only when the teenager shared a long hug with his mother Teng Hwee Keng that it was evident that the Singaporean athlete was hurting.
No words were exchanged between the pair, only tears.
After composing himself, Maximilian said in the media mixed zone: "To be very, very frank, I'll speak the truth and say I haven't finished sulking but I'm putting a smile on right now, not because I have to but because of the way I feel.
"Perhaps in retrospect I may label more things correctly, however, right now I need to process everything that's going on because it's a lot."
On his performance in the final series, he added: "That is for the performance analysis later on... But the things that stand out to me are the fact that I have performed at a level where it's not completely sub-par.
"I'm not sulking because of the fact that I didn't do well, or I didn't perform at what I thought... I was capable of. It's definitely not that."
While what Maximilian achieved is no small feat — he is Singapore's youngest medallist at the Olympic Games — the fiercely competitive teenager has high expectations of himself.
His medal is just the Republic's sixth at the Olympics and it was no surprise given his track record in recent years.
In 2024, he swept every trophy on offer, including retaining his world championship title.
Teng, 52, shared afterwards that she was "just trying to absorb the emotions together with him".
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She said: "I think he needs to put it in the big picture, he's made history, he's the youngest medallist ever for Singapore, he's gotten the sixth medal for Singapore.
"It was not what he would have liked, but he's got a medal. He's young and he's got a long runway."
It had been a tough week at the Marseille Marina as light winds made the regatta challenging, with many hours spent on shore as the sailors waited for the wind to pick up.
Of the 16 races that were scheduled in the opening series, only seven took place.
The volatility was reflected in the leaderboard over the first four days of racing, with the standings in flux as riders tried to navigate the conditions.
Slovenia's Toni Vodisek, the 2022 world champion, and Maximilian eventually finished top two in the opening series, securing their slots in the four-rider final.
Vodisek, 24, had the upper hand going into the final as he earned two match points by virtue of being the top qualifier from the opening series, needing just one race win in the final to clinch gold.
Maximilian, who carried over one match point, needed two wins to claim the title.
But a late twist saw Vodisek handed two penalties, resulting in 1.1 points being deducted before the start of the final on Aug 9.
But gold went to Austria's Valentin Bontus, who had no match points after qualifying from the semi-finals but made an impressive comeback to win both races on Aug 9.
Vodisek and Maximilian took silver and bronze respectively.
Reflecting on the week, Maximilian said: "It will take me a moment to process everything. I'm really grateful that everyone back home, at least from what I heard, is very happy with how it turned out and I'm more than overjoyed to see that everyone had such a wonderful experience.
"In the end, that was the goal of my journey and will continue to be my goal: To put a smile on people's faces through my endeavours in sport. It's a beautiful thing to see come true."
There were certainly happy faces in Marseille on Aug 9, with some Singaporeans travelling to the French city to support Maximilian.
One of them was Laurent Leong, who has been following Maximilian's journey since 2021, after reading media reports on him.
Even though he knew nothing about the sport, Maximilian's achievements and character made Leong take notice of him.
Leong, 48, said: "I've seen him being interviewed and he comes across as a down-to-earth, modest guy, who hasn't let success get to his head. He's obviously a prodigy and he has a very bright future."
With kitefoiling set to feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Maximilian is already looking forward to the next one.
But more importantly, he plans to "continue doing what I enjoy, continue bringing this wonderful experience to the people who support and follow me".
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
