Max Maeder
Maximilian Maeder (born 12 September 2006) is a Singaporen kitesurfer.[1] He is the leading Formula Kite World champion.[when?] When he was 16 years old, he became the youngest winner in any Olympic sailing class competition.
Maeder won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the Men's Formula Kite event. He won the Formula Kite youth world champion in the years 2021 to 2023.[2] He won many open championships across Europe, Asia and Pan America.[3] He is the only competitor from Singapore to win a medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Maeder was born in Singapore to a family with mixed Eurasian heritage. His father, Valentin Maeder, is a Swiss German and his mother, Hwee Keng Maeder, is Singaporean Chinese.[4] He is the eldest among his two younger brothers.[4] At the age of six, his father introduced him to kiteboarding at younger than 10 years old.[5] By the age of 11, Maeder had already competed in his first competitive race.[6][1]
Personal life
Maximilian Maeder was born on 12 September 2006[7] in Singapore to Valentin and Hwee Keng (née Teng) Maeder. His father is a Swiss, and his mother is a Chinese Singaporean. He has two younger brothers, Karl and Valentin Jr., who are respectively 2 and 9 years younger.[8] Maeder grew up in a household with many different races; In addition to his English, Maeder also understands Mandarin, German, Swiss German and French. [9] Maeder was homeschooled growing up.[8]
Awards and nominations
Maeder was nominated for the following lists and awards:
- Nominated for The Straits Times' Athlete of the Year 2021[10]
- Nominated for The Straits Times' Athlete of the Year 2022[11]
- Won the SNOC Sportsboy of the Year 2022[12]
- Won the SNOC Sportsboy of the Year 2023[13]
- Nominated for Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2023[14]
- Won the SNOC Sportsboy of the Year 2024[15]
Max Maeder Media
Maeder with other Singapore Olympians at the open-top bus parade in 2024
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maximilian Maeder Sailing.Org ProfileWorld Sailing. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ↑ 16-year-old Singapore kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder crowned world champion (19 August 2023)Channel News Asia. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ↑ ResultsWorld Sailing. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Raising Independent Children. ActiveSG Circle. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ↑ Ma, Sylvia. Paris Olympics: meet Max Maeder, the kite surfer on verge of Singapore's second gold ever. South China Morning Post (8 August 2024). Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ↑ zaobaosg. 专访亚运冠军墨士廉 (Maximilian Maeder)："我会努力学习中文，因为妈妈叫我这么做。" (2023-09-21). Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ↑ Athlete Profiles. Paris Olympics 2024.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kwek, Kimberly (2024-08-03). "How Maximilian Maeder's parents raised a world champion" (in en). The Straits Times. . https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/how-maximilian-maeder-s-parents-raised-a-world-champion. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ↑ HeyKaki 嘿卡奇. 23 Questions With Maximilian Maeder: SG Gen Z On Road To Olympics, Relationships & More! (2024-07-04). Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ↑ Chia, Laura. ST Athlete of the Year: Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder rises above and beyond (1 April 2022)The Straits Times. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ↑ Chia, Laura. ST Athlete of the Year nominee: Maximilian Maeder’s letter to his future self (29 March 2023)The Straits Times. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ↑ Ganesan, Deepanraj. Loh Kean Yew wins his first Sportsman of the Year award (10 November 2022)The Straits Times. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ↑ Feng Tianwei, Sheik Farhan win sportswoman and sportsman of the year awards for 2023 (24 August 2023)Channel News Asia. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ↑ Teoh, Melvyn. Champion kitefoiler Max Maeder is first Singaporean nominated for World Sailor of the Year (18 October 2023)The Straits Times. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ↑ Kwek, Kimberly. Sprinter Shanti Pereira, bowler Darren Ong win top accolades at 2024 Singapore Sports Awards (4 June 2024)The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 June 2024.