Unfazed by typhoon, Max Maeder regains Asian crown
Neither a typhoon nor a lost watch could throw off Maximilian Maeder, who remained composed to win the Formula Kite Asian Championships in Daishan, China, on Sept 22 for his second straight title since Paris 2024.
It was all in a couple of days’ work for the 18-year-old, who reclaimed the Asian title he won in 2022 but lost to China’s Huang Qibin in 2023. He also received a winner’s cheque for 9,800 yuan (S$1,800).
Maeder, who claimed a historic Olympic kitefoiling bronze medal for Singapore in August, told The Straits Times: “It’s very nice to be able to fight and get it back. To win in these tough conditions and with such strong competition makes it all the more sweet.”
With the medal series on the final day called off because the winds were too strong, Maeder was declared the men’s champion as he had topped the opening series with eights wins in 12 races.
The opening day of racing on Sept 19 had also been called off, with China Daily reporting that Typhoon Pulasan, “with the maximum wind force near its centre reaching 25m per second”, had made landfall in Zheijang province, where Daishan is located.
When the event was allowed to start, turbulent winds made for challenging conditions in which riders could be dragged down into the murky waters. This meant more cancellations, with nine out of the 25 competitors in the men’s kite category unable to start any of the 12 opening series races on Sept 20 and 21.
Maeder was among the 16 kitefoilers who got a taste of the competition and, while he won the first race, it was not all smooth sailing as he lost his watch in the second race following a heavy crash that left him “seeing stars” and finishing fourth.
It was the first time that he had competed without his race timer, hence he could not count down to each race and had to look at other riders to determine when to start. This led to a premature start from him in the third race, which saw him disqualified.
But he recovered superbly to win the fourth to sixth races on Sept 20. With a replacement watch on Sept 21, he won another four out of six races to top the opening series.
Maeder said: “Experience helps a lot. We go through lots of international regattas and get to practise certain skills over time to help deal with challenging conditions like this.”
However, the 10-athlete medal series could not take place on Sept 22 as winds exceeded 60kmh and reached gale level on the Beaufort scale, and the opening series’ leader was declared the winner.
China’s Zhang Haoran and Wu Jiangang finished second and third out of nine riders respectively. Defending champion Huang was sixth.
In the all-Chinese, eight-rider Formula Kite women’s competition, Li Wan, Liu Chenxue and Xiao Meijing filled the top three.
An International Kiteboarding Association official said in an Instagram story: “Unfortunately we cannot have races because there is so much wind and it is not possible to set the course on the water.
“We are not allowed by the Chinese government to put anything on the water. Even the fishermen in this region, who make their living from the sea, are not allowed to go to the sea.”
Kitesurfing Association of Singapore president Ong Rong Quan said: “This was a good win for Max as he was once again tested by the challenging sea state and gusty wind conditions that came after the typhoon.
“Losing his race watch timer affected his starts but he overcame that early setback to win eight out of 12 races to come out on top of the fleet, beat the best in the region and become Asian champion again. This was also another opportunity for Max to learn and adapt to his new gear.”
Maeder, who has now won six out of seven events in 2024, will head to Cagliari for the Oct 1-5 KiteFoil World Series Italy and stay in Sardinia for the Oct 7-13 Formula Kite Youth European Championships.
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