Maeder wins Singapore’s first Olympic sailing medal

Wearing a bright red shirt with “Mama” embroidered on her sleeve, Hwee Keng Maeder said she felt “emotional” as she gave her son an intense embrace on the beach when the kiteboarder came ashore, as family and friends cheered and waved flags.

“I love him just as much, he’s my son,” Hwee Keng Maeder told Reuters of his performance, as Singaporean media mobbed the bronze medalist. Maeder’s medal win on Friday, the first in sailing for Singapore, coincided with its national day.

Asked if Maeder would have another tilt at Olympic gold in 2028, his mother said he would.

“I know he will. He’s a strong boy, he will come back stronger,” she said. Maeder’s family, who had flown in from around the world to witness his race, planned to mark his success with a party in Marseille.

The young Singaporean, who is kiteboarding’s reigning world champion and was ranked number one in the sport, admitted ashore that he was “sulking a bit” behind the smiles.

Coming down from the excitement of his Olympic experience would, his mother said, be another journey.

“That’s the work that he has to do himself, what we can do is to be his safety net,” she added.