Max Maeder wins European Open for the 2nd year in a row

SINGAPORE: Maximilian Maeder, Singapore’s youngest Olympic medallist to date, emerged triumphant on Monday (May 19), winning the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships in Urla, Turkey.

Winning the event did come easily for the 18-year-old Maeder, who crashed in the opening series. Moreover, he touched kites with Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi in the first round of the grand final. After officials reviewed clips of the incident, Pianosi was penalised, resulting in a win for Maeder in that round.

The Singaporean then went on to win the following race, which clinched the championship for him. Pianosi was declared European Champion, with Switzerland’s Gian Andrea Stragiotti and Greece’s Cameron Maramenides crowned European silver and bronze medalists, respectively.

“Max had an amazing race, he sailed clear, especially in that first race, and I’m happy for him,” Pianosi said after the race.

Maeder, meanwhile, was equally generous and praised his competitors: “It’s a really great experience to have outstanding competitors. I was pushed to my limits by the people around me, Riccardo especially. They bring out the best in me,” he said.

The victory must have been especially meaningful for Maeder after a recent shoulder injury. According to a May 19 post from DBS, for which Maeder is a brand ambassador, the athlete sustained a partial shoulder dislocation just a few weeks ago.

“Today, he stands victorious on the podium,” DBS noted, adding, “His resilience wasn’t just about getting back in the game—but pushing past limits, trusting the process, and showing up stronger than before.”

On its Facebook and Instagram pages, DBS shared a video of Maeder’s journey through his recovery.

 

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Last year, the athlete gave Singapore a gift on National Day in the form of a bronze medal from the Paris Olympics for the Men’s Formula Kite event. Since that historic win, he has only gone from strength to strength.

In September, the Singaporean kitesurfer emerged as champion after winning 11 out of 12 races at the Austrian leg of the IKA KiteFoil World Series at Lake Traunsee. Later that month, he took home his next gold at the 2024 Formula Kite Asian Championships in Daishan, China.

In October, Maeder made it a three-peat, winning the overall title at the World Series on the final day at Kitefoil World Series Sardinia, in Italy.

Maeder, the oldest of three brothers, started kiteboarding at six and took up kitefoiling when he was just 10 years old. In 2018, he won his first competitive tournament in the Formula Kite Asian Championships.

His mother, Hwee Keng, 52, is Singaporean, while his father, Valentin, 60, is from Switzerland. They both work at Wakatobi Dive Resort on the island of Sulawesi, which is part of Indonesia. The two helped build the resort. /TISG

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