‘I’m most overwhelmed’: Supporters turn up in their dozens to welcome home Olympic medallist Max Maeder

SINGAPORE: Supporters and members of the sailing fraternity gathered at Changi Airport to witness a rare sight – a Singaporean returning from the Olympics with a medal around his neck.
Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder, Singapore’s youngest Olympic medallist at just 17, landed in Singapore at about 6am on Tuesday (Aug 13), and emerged in the arrival area at about 6.25am to jubilant applause and cheers from a crowd of about 50 people. 
Wearing the bronze medal which he won at the Paris Olympics, he hugged family members, posed for pictures with supporters, signed autographs and even picked up several young fans who had woken up as early as 4am to make the journey down to see their new sporting idol. 
Several orchid garlands were placed around his neck, he accepted gifts from fans and was also greeted by Minister for Community, Culture and Youth Edwin Tong. 
“I’m most overwhelmed by the fact of how positive the reception has been, I cannot express to you what it means to have a journey like this together with all the people here and to see that my efforts made a positive impact,” Maeder said to the media upon his arrival. 
“I very much look forward to trying to repeat (such a feat) in any way I can.” 
Among the children that met Maeder was six-year-old Caleb Tan. 
He had brought a sign saying “I skipped school to see Max Maeder”. 
“I feel happy, because this is my first time meeting Max Maeder for real,” he said. 
Caleb’s mother Wendy Tan said that they were following Maeder’s progress and his son became excited to see a Singaporean being a top contender for a medal. 
She said that while she hoped her son could have a picture with Maeder, she had not expected the teenager to hoist her son onto his shoulders with his sign. 
“I think that shows he’s very friendly and approachable, and it’s a good inspiration for (Caleb) to have a role model like Max,” said the 35-year-old financial consultant.
“Even though he’s still young, we don’t know what impact it would give him in the future,” she added.
She said that Caleb would be skipping school as the sign suggested, and instead would take a nap at home after waking up so early. 
Maeder said of the support from young fans: “It’s so heartwarming … I can only imagine them getting out of bed early to see me (and) it really puts a smile on my face and it has made my day so good.”
Shortly after Max emerged, sailor Ryan Lo also arrived to cheers from the crowd. 
The 27-year-old finished 25th in a field of 43 in the men’s dinghy event at the Paris Olympics.
He said that Maeder’s achievement – winning the first Olympic medal for Singapore in sailing – was a feat that inspired the sailing fraternity. 
“To see how far (Max) has come is such a great blessing and I feel so motivated to see how much he has grown, and I’m just so happy for him and for the whole community in Singapore,” he said.
Among the supporters who turned up was 31-year-old Afiq Azman. He had only heard of kitefoiling during the Olympics because of Maeder’s feat, and decided to make his way down to celebrate what he felt was an “unexpected medal”. 
“I think it’s more his story that inspires me, because he’s the youngest (Olympic) medalist we ever had… he’s still (has) a long way to go in his career. So, we are all the way behind him,” said Mr Afiq, who works in the transport sector.
Junior college student Bonnie decided to skip part of her school day in the morning to see Maeder and pass him a card she had made. She became a fan not just because of his medal-winning feat but also his mentality. 
“His athletic abilities, and also his philosophy and perspective, I find that really inspiring,” she said.
Maeder, a back-to-back world champion, finished third overall in the men’s kite foiling event at the Games on National Day, a feat Prime Minister Lawrence Wong described as a “beautiful birthday gift” for Singapore. 
He also ended Singapore’s eight-year wait for an Olympic podium finish – his bronze being the country’s first medal since swimmer Joseph Schooling’s gold in 2016. 
At 17, he is also the nation’s youngest Olympic medallist.
Prior to the Olympics, the youngster also won five events in a row, including the Asian Games and European Championships.
But his Olympic bronze came only after a day of waiting. Supporters in Marseille and back home had to endure hours of nerves last Thursday before Maeder’s Olympic final was postponed after one race was contested. 
Maeder had automatically advanced to the final after finishing second overall in the opening series, and started the finals with one win out of three. 
However, it was not to be gold for Maeder, as Austrian Valentin Bontus won the only race on Thursday, before winning two more races on Friday to be crowned champion having been first to reach three wins.
Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek would take silver, and Maeder the bronze. 
Maeder dedicated the medal win to Singapore, but had also revealed a hint of disappointment at the way events turned out, having gone into the Olympics as two-time world champion and a favourite for gold in some quarters.
“I’ll speak the truth and say I haven’t finished sulking, but I’m putting a smile on now … 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 said at the time.