Maximilian Maeder claims Formula Kite bronze at Paris 2024 test event

SINGAPORE – Kitefoiling starlet Maximilian Maeder got a taste of the Olympics when he finished third at the Paris 2024 test event in Marseille on Friday, which was also the French National Day.

The Olympic sailing events will also be held at the Roucas Blanc Marina from July 28-Aug 8 in 2024.

The 16-year-old was so focused on his race, he did not notice any Bastille Day festivities, but was gracious enough to acknowledge the “fairy-tale finish” as French duo Axel Mazella and Lauriane Nolot won the Formula Kite men and women’s events respectively.

Briton’s world No. 24 Connor Bainbridge finished second as the top-three men maintained their positions from the opening series, in which world No. 3 Mazella amassed 26.2 points, and Maximilian had 42 points, two more than Bainbridge.

The Singaporean world No. 7 said: “It’s a solid finish, a podium finish, so it’s not something I’m complaining about.

“Third place was something my performance over the week deserved. The event was tight and exciting, and there was never a moment in which anyone felt they had the win secured.”

The teenager remained unfazed even as he landed in Italy via Germany without his luggage, which included all his gear ahead of the July 17-23 Formula Kite Youth World Championships in which he is the defending champion.

Instead, he was keen to talk about his learning experience from the Marseille regatta, as he sets his sights on qualifying for the Olympics through the Sailing World Championships in the Netherlands in August.

Maximilian said: “There were some good learning opportunities. These include certain patterns that emerged from the wind conditions that I picked up, so I can make an educated guess in certain scenarios the next time this happens.

“The pressure of trying to show results is coming only from myself, and no one else.

“The upcoming competitions will be more events... for me to gain experience.

“I want to leave nothing undone and produce performances I can be proud of.”

Besides Maximilian, other Singaporeans at the test event include Ryan Lo, who finished 12th in the men’s dinghy.

Kimberly Lim and Cecilia Low (women’s skiff), and Justin Liu and Denise Lim (mixed multihull) were still competing at press time.

Singapore Sailing Federation’s head of high performance and coaching Chung Pei Ming felt the results were not as important as getting a taste of the Olympic set-up, testing the waters and experiencing the conditions.

He said: “We went through a variety of weather conditions, such as the mistral winds in which the cold pressure comes down from the mountains for some days, before giving way to lighter winds.

“There were also challenging swells and waves to navigate.

“It was also very hot, in excess of 35 deg C, and while it is still okay in the water, we have to keep our athletes cool on land while they are preparing for their races to prevent heat injuries.

“Overall, this has been a fruitful trip. We have two pairs still competing but Max and Ryan’s results were up to expectations, as they have been performing at this level for the past year.”