On National Day (9 Aug), Singaporean kite foiler Max Maeder won bronze at the Paris Olympic games.
He became the first Singaporean to medal at an Olympic event since Joseph Schooling in 2016.
The Olympian is also the youngest medallist in Singapore’s history at only 17 years old.
Following his historic performance, Max has received much praise from the nation’s politicians.
“Maximilian Maeder has a great future,” said Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the President of Singapore in a Facebook post.
“Max is mature beyond his years — his teenage smile and traces of puppy fat are deceptive.”
The President also highlighted that this was a turning point for sports in Singapore.
“Just imagine — we had no Olympic medal for almost half a century after Tan Howe Liang’s silver medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Yet from 2008, TeamSG has now brought home three Olympic bronzes (including Max’s), a silver, and Joseph Schooling’s historic gold,” said Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
He also made note of shuttler Loh Kean Yew making the quarter-finals, kayaker Stephenie Chen making the semis, as well as the remarkable performances of shuttler Yeo Jia Min and sprinter Shanti Pereira.
A generation of young Singaporeans is taking their sports seriously, getting stronger support, and reaching higher.
He said that this shows what is possible when parents allow and support their kids to find themselves through sports.
Former prime minister and current senior minister Lee Hsien Loong also had kind words for Max Maeder.
“At just 17, he is our youngest Olympic medallist and has a bright future ahead of him,” said Mr Lee.
Source: SNOC Kong Chong Yew via Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
PM Lawrence Wong also thanked the athlete for his “beautiful birthday gift to Singapore”, acknowledging that he overcame “tough wind conditions” to clinch the bronze medal.
Speaking to reporters after his race, Max dedicated the medal to Singapore and expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of support from Singaporeans.
Although the athlete appeared to be all smiles in front of the camera, he shared that he was a little disappointed with his performance.
“I’ll speak the truth and say I haven’t finished sulking, but I’m putting a smile on now,” said Max.
The 17-year-old’s third-place finish in the Olympics came after he became world champion in May.
Also read: Will S’pore win a gold medal in the Olympics? Over a quarter polled think sailing is its best bet
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Featured image adapted from SNOC Kong Chong Yew via Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Facebook and @worldsailing on X.
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