SINGAPORE – It has been a season of change for Singaporean kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder, who has had to navigate some new challenges and experiences after his triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

With a new Olympic cycle came equipment changes, and the 19-year-old also shook up his coaching set-up ahead of his next Olympic bid in Los Angeles in 2028.

Afier spending five years with coach Ivica Dolenc, Maeder began training with the Swiss team under coach Matthieu Giro in mid-2025.

The teenager is still settling into the new partnership after a 2024 season that saw him winning nearly all his events and an Olympic bronze.

His 2025 campaign has had some speed bumps. In his most recent event at the Formula Kite Youth World Championships, he placed fourth, finishing outside the podium in an official event for the first time since 2021.

He said: “In review, I would say, (it’s been) a lot of growth and a lot of change, and perhaps definitely very much new perspectives, new mindsets, and for the long-term, I like that I’ve had a season like this and I like the potential in the future.

“But of course the events themselves are a little bit of a bitter taste in the mouth but I believe that it’s all for the best and the most important thing I can do is take away as much as I can for these events.”

Maeder’s 2025 season got off to a strong start as he retained his Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta title in April, before placing second at the French Olympic Week.

The two-time world champion then won the European championships, following that up with two second-place finishes at the youth European championships and the world championships.

His fourth-placed finish at the Formula Kite Youth World Championship was on Nov 1.

Putting the year into perspective, Maeder said it was “by no means a horrible season”, adding that it was about “taking the right perspective” and learning ...