After Olympic bronze, Singapore's Max Maeder wants to improve, but also continue bringing joy

PARIS: A day on from his historic achievement at the Marseille Marina, 17-year-old Maximilian Maeder said that he had been overwhelmed by the reaction to his Olympic medal.

"I was blown away by just how much was celebrated," he told CNA on Saturday (Aug 10). "Completely blew away my expectations; it was such a pleasant surprise. I'm glad everyone really enjoyed it the way they did."

Maeder, a back-to-back world champion, finished third overall in the men's kite foiling event on Friday. This ended Singapore’s eight-year wait for an Olympic podium finish since swimmer Joseph Schooling won gold in 2016. 

Maeder, 17, is now also Singapore's youngest Olympic medallist.

Friday was an emotional day, not just for those watching on but for Maeder himself. After competing in his final race, there were tears as he hugged his mother, before he composed himself and spoke to the press.

“I'll speak the truth and say I haven't finished sulking, but I'm putting a smile on now," he said previously.

"Not because I have to, but because of the way I feel and … I still need to process everything that's going on because, yeah, it's a lot." 

He elaborated on these feelings 24 hours later and said they were related to how the race had gone. Being competitive, his comments were something that happened "impulsively." 

"It wasn't all positive, but it was strictly related to what happened on the water," he explained.

"This was all before I had the knowledge of how it went in general and how people felt about it, and what actually I was able to bring for everyone else."

Ultimately what is "way more important" is what happened after the outcome of the race, Maeder said. "(It's) of course ... the positivity, and the joy and the celebration," added

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