Max Maeder comes in first at Formula Kite Youth European Championships, his fourth win since the Olympics
Singaporean Max Maeder has won his fourth competition since the Olympics, taking home the gold at the Formula Kite Youth European Championships.
This caps an outstanding year for the 18-year-old, with a bronze medal in Paris the highlight.
Max Maeder wins all 4 races on Youth European Championships opening day
Last week, Maeder was competing at the Formula Kite Youth European Championships in Sardinia, Italy from 7 to 13 Oct.
According to Singapore Sailing, he won all four of his races to dominate the opening day.
Source: International Kiteboarding Association via SingaporeSailing on Facebook
After four days of competition, he stood top of the standings with a net score of 12 points from 13 races. He won eight races in total, reported The Straits Times (ST).
Thus, he received automatic qualification into the medal race and needed just one race win during the finals on Sunday (13 Oct) to come in first.
Source: International Kiteboarding Association on Facebook
Riccardo Pianosi of Italy joined him in the finals, according to the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA).
Max Maeder comes in first at Youth European Championships
Maeder came out tops at the first time of asking, winning the first race on Sunday.
He finished ahead of Pianosi and Switzerland’s Gian Stragiotti.
Source: International Kiteboarding Association on Facebook
However, according to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), this didn’t mean that he took the championship title.
As he was not representing a European country, he took part in the open event, CNA reported.
Nevertheless, he did bring home a gold medal, as listed in the final results on IKA’s website.
A photo shared by the IKA on Facebook also showed Maeder with a gold medal.
Source: International Kiteboarding Association on Facebook
He was quoted as saying after the race that the “super flat water” made it “so nice to race in”.
An impressive 2024 for Max Maeder
Maeder’s first-place finish at the Formula Kite Youth European Championships tops off an impressive 2024 for the kitefoiling star.
Barely a month after medalling at the Olympics on National Day, he snagged gold at the Austrian leg of the KiteFoil World Series in September just before turning 18.
He then took part in the 2024 Formula Kite Asian Championships, winning the title there too.
Just a week ago, Maeder was named overall champion at the KiteFoil World Series 2024.
Also read: An interview with Max Maeder: The 17-year-old Olympian reveals the secrets behind his success
An interview with Max Maeder: The 17-year-old Olympian reveals the secrets behind his success
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Featured image adapted from International Kiteboarding Association on Facebook and International Kiteboarding Association.
