S’pore kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder wins French Olympic Week for second title of 2026
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Maximilian Maeder won the first race of the final to seal the crown.
PHOTO: FFVOILE/SAILING ENERGY
- Maximilian Maeder clinched the men's Formula Kite title at the French Olympic Week on April 24.
- This marks his second win of 2026.
- Coming up next is the May 9-16 Formula Kite World Championships in Portugal, where he will be aiming to reclaim his world title.
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SINGAPORE – Maintaining his winning form of 2026, Maximilian Maeder clinched the men’s Formula Kite title at the French Olympic Week on April 24.
This is the Singaporean’s second win of the season, following his victory at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia earlier this month.
At the Base Nautique Municipale in Hyeres, the Olympic bronze medallist sealed direct entry into the final by topping the qualification series with 14 net points.
Italy’s reigning world champion Riccardo Pianosi, who was second with 27 net points, joined him in automatically qualifying for the final. Like Maeder, Pianosi had a one-match point advantage from making it directly into the final from qualification.
China’s Huang Qibin and Switzerland’s Gian Stragiotti then made it through the semi-finals to complete the four-rider line-up.
Maeder, 19, won the first race of the final to seal the crown, with Huang coming in second followed by Pianosi and Stragiotti.
Pianosi, 21, clinched silver, with Huang, 19, taking bronze ahead of Stragiotti, 18.
Maeder’s win comes before the two-time world champion’s main event of the season, in which he will be aiming to reclaim his world title at the May 9-16 Formula Kite World Championships in Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
