Olympics: Is Max Maeder a shoo-in for gold? Will S'pore be getting a medal this Olympics?

You may be wondering why there's suddenly so much buzz on social media about kite foiling or this Singaporean guy named Max Maeder.

It's simple: He is Singapore's strongest medal hope at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Maeder's chances at winning are quite high, having clinched the world champion title twice and a gold medal in 2023's Asian Games.

His achievements don't end there.

Since bursting onto the scene at just 14 years old, Maeder has gone on to win numerous competitions, including:

• 2021 Formula Kite Youth (Under-19) World Championships
• 2021 Formula Kite European Championships
• 2023 Formula Kite Youth (Under-19) World Championships
• 2024 Formula Kite European Championships

The 17-year-old was even granted a National Service (NS) deferment by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Jul. 6 until after the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Maeder's results now at the Paris Olympics

So, how's he doing at the Paris Olympics? Pretty well, actually.

Maeder is second out of 20 with a current total of 15 net points.

He trails three points behind Slovenia's Toni Vodisek, who has 12 net points.

Italy's Riccardo Pianosi comes in third with 20 net points.

The athletes only raced seven races, as the rest were cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

He has advanced straight to the grand finals as he was placed second.

What is kitefoiling?

Kitefoiling only officially became an Olympic sport this year, which may explain why you did not know it was a sport until recently.

As the name suggests, the sport uses a kite, board, and foil, where the rider is essentially pulled across the water with wind power from the kite that flies in the air.

The rider stands on a metre-long board with a foil attached to the bottom.

The foil elevates the board above the water surface, reducing drag and allowing athletes to reach speeds upwards of about 82km/h.

The rules of kitefoiling

Kitefoilers compete in 16 races in the opening series, where they are given points each round.

The winner of a race is determined by who can run the course in the quickest time possible.

A lower total score means a better overall placement.

The first- and second-ranked boats of the opening series for men's kite will progress to the final.

Boats ranked third to 10th will progress to the semi-finals, where they will be split into two groups based on their standing.

The semi-final winners are determined when the first kitefoiler of each group gets three match points, which are earned by winning a race.

The winner of each group will then advance to the finals.

However, the top two would be given the advantage of already securing match points, with first place given two match points and second place given one.

Similarly to the semi-finals, the first to three match points in the finals win, meaning the odds will be in the top two's favour.

A guaranteed medal win? Not necessarily.

Since Maeder secured one of the top two spots in the opening series, he has advanced straight to the grand finals.

Placing second means he'll start the race with one match point.

However, frontrunner Vodisek has two match points, having clinched first place.

Maeder will have to secure two wins before Vodisek wins any to get the gold medal.

Another possible disadvantage is that Maeder may not be as familiar with the course on the day of the competition compared to the other competitors, who would have to go through the semi-finals on the same day to secure their spot in the grand finals and would have a better feel on the terrain and wind conditions beforehand.

Three days prior, Great Britain windsurfer Emma Wilson had to settle for bronze in the finals, despite being initially first after winning eight out of 14 preliminary races.

Wilson was guaranteed a spot in the finals due to ranking first in the opening series.

Yet proceeding straight to the finals also meant she was less familiar with the course than her competitors, who took part in the semi-finals.

Wilson told the BBC, "I hadn't done a race yet, and all these girls knew where the lay line was".

The lay line refers to the calculation required to reach the next mark or buoy quickest.

The miscalculation left her tracing behind Italy's Marta Maggetti and Israel's Sharon Kanto, who secured gold and silver, respectively.

While windsurfing was a one-off final, kitefoiling differs as there will be multiple races in the finals.

Semi-finals and finals to be held on Aug. 8

The grand finals will take place on Aug. 8 at 8pm (Singapore time).

It will be streamed live on various platforms — but be prepared to stay for a little while longer as recent races have been delayed due to weather conditions.

Will Singapore be getting another Olympic medal?

Right on time for the 59th National Day?

We'll find out soon.

Top photos via @sailingenergy/Instagram.