Singaporean kitefoiling star Max Maeder has gained yet another accolade, having being named the World Young Sailor of the Year.
The good news was announced by the Singapore Sailing Federation in a Facebook post on Tuesday (5 Nov).
Source: SingaporeSailing on Facebook
This is the first time a Singaporean has received a gong at the World Sailing Awards, it said.
The World Young Sailor of the Year Award was only introduced this year, according to World Sailing, the world governing body for sailing.
It “honours the achievements of the next generation of superstar sailors”, with both the men’s and women’s categories open to sailors under the age of 21.
World Sailing said the World Young Sailor of the Year Award is the “highest award a sailor under the age of 21 can receive in recognition of their outstanding achievements by the world of sailing”.
Source: World Sailing on Facebook
The award will be presented during the World Sailing Annual Conference in November each year.
Fittingly, this year’s Annual Conference was held in Singapore, with Maeder in attendance.
Source: @singaporesailingteam on Instagram
The conference included the awards presentation in Chijmes Hall, where the 18-year-old received the inaugural award on home ground from Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong.
Source: World Sailing via 8world News on Facebook
Maeder was quoted by The Straits Times (ST) as saying that he was “phenomenally happy” to win and is grateful that World Sailing is promoting the youths of sailing.
He was also “elated” to win the award on home soil.
He beat Italy’s Vittorio Bonifacio, Australia’s Grae Morris and Denmark’s Magnus Overbeck to the award.
The International Kiteboarding Association said it was the first time a kitefoiler had won a World Sailing award.
The female World Young Sailor of the Year award was won by Poland’s Ewa Lewandowska.
The award tops off a season of sublime achievements for Maeder, having won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games.
He also picked up nine other titles, including the 2024 Formula Kite Asian Championships in China and overall champion of KiteFoil World Series 2024.
This was also a significant year in his personal life, having recently started dating a Singaporean girl whom he met at the gym.
Curiously, thanks to his win, Maeder will be serving curry puffs at a local store.
Earlier, he had pledged to work at a curry puff stall for a day if he won the Young World Sailor of the Year award.
Now that he has actually won it, he will keep his word and serve curry puffs as promised.
He told ST that he will serve customers at Soon Soon Huat Curry Puff along East Coast Road on Thursday (7 Nov).
Source: Google Maps
He picked the shop because they have “very, very good curry puffs”, adding:
I’ll be there as early as I can, and as long as I can.
Also read: An interview with Max Maeder: The 17-year-old Olympian reveals the secrets behind his success
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Featured image adapted from World Sailing via 8world News on Facebook and @singaporesailingteam on Instagram.
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