On Aug. 8, late at night at the National Sailing Centre, hundreds of people gathered in an area with Singapore's flags hung high.

Not for National Day, which would arrive hours later, but for the nation's other pride and joy — Max Maeder, Singapore's 17-year-old kite foiling champion.

Max Maeder had secured a spot in the kite foiling grand finals for the 2024 Paris Olympics, coming in second from the qualifying round.

With one match point already under his belt, hopes for an Olympic medal are high.

But for the supporters, it's not just about the medal hopes.

Proud of Max Maeder

Speaking to Mothership at the watch party, vice-president of the Kitefoiling Association Singapore Harun expressed pride in seeing Maeder's journey to the finals.

He added that Maeder's presence in the finals also brought a sense of accomplishment to the kitefoiling community in Singapore.

A local kitefoiler named Arthur shared that he was lucky to have the chance to kitefoil with Maeder once.

"We are so proud of him. Considering Singapore is not known for its wind, here we have a champion. It's just awesome."

For non-kite foilers, sentiments are also high.

An inspiration

A young supporter, Victoria, said she's just excited and grateful that a Singaporean has made it to the grand finals of an Olympic competition.

Li Ying, who formerly sailed as a sport, said she brought her parents and kids here to show her support.

She also aspires to the Olympics, but she says it's "out of reach for many of us".

"It's rare to have talents like Max Maeder in Singapore," she said. “I hope this will inspire kids to realise that it's not all about studies."

"TO THE MAX"

While the races were slated to start at 8pm, they were delayed due to unfavourable wind conditions.

But this didn't dull the atmosphere.

In addition to setting up screens and seats, the event organizer, SingaporeSailing, made sure supporters felt at home with bean bag seats.

Flags and clappers are also provided — almost like a mini National Day parade.

And, of course, "TO THE MAX".

Match postponed

Due to wind conditions, the finals were postponed to the next day after just one race, which saw Maeder put up a spectacular performance despite it being his first race of the day.

Maeder is still two race wins away from a gold medal.

We'll be back on Aug. 9.

Top photo by Mothership