Another victory: Singapore's Max Maeder wins Austrian leg of KiteFoil World Series

SINGAPORE - A new four-year Olympic cycle begins with new equipment for Singapore kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder, yet some things remain the same.

The teenager dominated the competition to claim the KiteFoil World Series Austria title on Sunday (Sept 8), four days before he turns 18.

His training partner, Croatia's Martin Dolenc clinched silver, while Frenchman Benoit Gomez took the bronze and German Florian Gruber finished fourth in the grand final. Home favourite and surprise Olympic champion Valentin Bontus placed seventh.

Throughout the five-day competition, Maximilian won 11 out of 12 races in the opening series. Needing just one win in the medal series, he clinched it on his first try for his fifth victory in six events in 2024.

The only blip was in his last competitive outing in Marseille, where he captured a nation's imagination with a historic Olympic bronze on Aug 9. The two-time world champion inspired and touched Singaporeans with his tears and down-to-earth demeanour during the Olympics and post-Games festivities.

He told The Straits Times: "I am surprised. I did not expect anywhere near this level of smoothness. It was great to be back racing, and I was definitely feeling good and excited to come back.

"I had great help from Daniel (Leow, his technician and co-pilot), and I simply raced and did what I could. This time, it worked out great."

His latest win at Lake Traunsee is a boost for the kitefoiler as he plots his next Olympic charge, following his four-year national service deferment announced in July.

"You either win, or you learn. Processing what happened at the Olympics all comes down to how much information you can extract out of it, how much you can learn from it, and how you can change things for the better in the future," said Maximilian.

"The things I learnt from Paris are details that are very fine and subtle. It's not about technique, speed or tactics. It's the mental aspect, the strategic approach and the meta decision-making that's being put to question."

He has also had to adapt to a change in equipment. For the first time, he had a hand in helping to develop his foil and kite with designers Levitaz and Flysurfer.

There have been "radical changes" as his foil is now of a different shape, while the kite has to be downsized from 23 square metres to a maximum of 21 sq m leading up to Los Angeles 2028.

Maximilian said: "Having the opportunity to be part of the development and give your input is great fun. It means whatever comes out is somewhat to your preference and it fixes certain issues you have.

"The smaller kite means less total raw power, but the way it is transferred into speed is much more efficient. I also have a more robust foil so definitely an upgrade overall."

Praising the teenager for yet another dominant performance, Kitesurfing Association of Singapore president Ong Rong Quan said: "This is a good kickstart to the new Olympic cycle... and a good chance for Max to run the new set of kites and foils. He would have enjoyed getting back into the rhythm of racing.

"He was fast around the course all weekend and would be feeling good with the new gear, building his confidence and momentum to push further in the upcoming events."

With the gold medal in Austria giving a "sweet tinge" to his 18th birthday, Maximilian is still gunning for his driver's licence, though he will have to make time amid a packed schedule.

He will return to his base in Switzerland before a short trip to Singapore for an event with his Swiss watch sponsor Norqain, followed by the Sept 17-22 Asian Championships in China.

For now, soaring with his kitefoil will have to do.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.

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