SINGAPORE – With an eye on the future, Singaporean kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder has switched up his coaching set-up and is now training with the Swiss team.

The move sees him working under Swiss coach Matthieu Girolet, with their first unofficial training camp held about four weeks ago. Maeder, who represents Singapore, will also train alongside his younger brother Karl, 16, who is part of the Swiss team.

In his first event since the coaching switch, the 18-year-old clinched the men’s silver at the International Kiteboarding Association Youth European Championships in Gizzeria, Italy, on July 6.

Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi claimed gold, while the bronze medal went to Switzerland’s Gian Stragiotti.

“I’m in with a new team, which means I have a new coach, new training partners... It has felt like it’s been really productive work,” said Maeder, whose father Valentin is Swiss and mother Hwee Keng is Singaporean.

“It’s a new environment, there’s some things to get acclimatised to. However, I feel like it’s really good work and I feel like it has great potential for the future.”

At Hang Loose Beach, Maeder led the opening series with 17 net points to secure direct qualification into the grand final, entering with a match-point advantage.

That meant he needed just one race win to seal the title, while Pianosi, who had finished second with 25 points, had to win twice.

But on July 6, an in-from Pianosi, who finished fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympics, forced a decider after edging out Maeder in the first race of the grand final.

He then carried that momentum into the second race, winning ahead of Stragiotti and Poland’s Vojtech Koska. Maeder finished fourth, settling for silver.

Maeder was previously coached by Ivica Dolenc, who had worked with him since he was 14. Under Dolenc’s guidance, he rose to become a double world champion and won Olympic bronze at ...