"We were hoping to see history in the pool, [and] we are. Because Singapore has won an Olympic gold medal and an Olympic record time." 

This was from a commentator at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro's Barra Olympic Park in 2016 when Joseph Schooling won Singapore's first Olympic gold medal.

It has been eight years since Schooling's historic victory. And on Aug 8, the eve of Singapore's 59th National Day, an Olympic medal beckons again.

Only this time, it's a different contender and a different event.

The name? Maximilian Maeder. 

The event? Kitefoiling. 

What is Kitefoiling?

Many may not be familiar with the sport as it only made its Olympic debut at this year's Games in Paris. 

As Maeder once succinctly describes it in a TikTok video: "Boy got skateboard can fly."

In an interview with The Straits Times in May, the 17-year-old gave a crash course on the sport, saying: "Kitefoiling is a sailing sport where the rider has one kite in the air and a foil on the bottom, which is a little underwater airplane that puts the rider above the water surface." 

Kitefoiling is a style of kiteboarding using wind power from a kite to pull a rider along.

The UK's Royal Yachting Association defines it as riders 'flying' above the water on hydrofoils attached to boards and powered by huge kites.

In this sport, athletes regularly reach speeds upwards of 82 km/h while their heart rates soar to 200 beats per minute, according to Olympics.com

During the Olympic race, riders compete through a pre-set course marked out by buoys. The course can be up to 10km long and typically takes 12 minutes, reported The Straits Times.

As the sport requires riders to use wind power from a kite to pull them along, so races are sometimes delayed to wait for favourable weather conditions. 

@team_singapore Boy got skateboard can fly? 🪁🛹 Watch and learn everything about Kitefoiling from our 2x World Champion and Olympic Formula Kite finalist, Max Maeder! 📚📝 📺 Catch the final at the #Paris2024 #Olympics LIVE on SingTel TV, CAST.SG and mewatch from 8pm SGT! Let’s go Team Singapore! 🇸🇬💪🏻 #OneTeamSG #OneTeamOneDream #teamsingapore #teamsg #olympics #sailing #kitefoiling #formulakite ♬ original sound - Team Singapore

What to look out for?

There are three key moments during the race: the start, early race and late race. 

At the start, riders start on the same line and will try to get a good start to be manoeuvrable down the course.

During the early race, riders fight for positions - this is when mistakes are made, and crashes happen.

In the late race, riders will either consolidate their positions or try to overtake others for an ideal finish.

The road to a medal

Maeder has already qualified for the Grand Final, taking place at 9.40pm (Singapore time), alongside Slovenian Toni Vodisek, after placing second in the opening series.

They will start with one point and two points, respectively. Joining them will be the semi-final winners from Group A (Brazil, China, France and Italy) and Group B (Austria, Great Britain, Germany and the USA). 

The first finalist to reach three points will take the Olympic gold. 

To take home the gold, Maeder must achieve two wins in the final.

Can this Singaporean, the reigning Formula Kite World, Asian and European champion, fly and pull it off? 

Catch Maeder in action on Mediacorp mewatch tonight. 

ALSO READ: 'I will give my all for my country': Kitefoiling champ Max Maeder gets NS deferment to focus on 2028 Olympics