Max Maeder Told By His Mum To “Go Be Cheeky” So She Would Have Something To Complain About Him

Singaporean hydrofoil kiteboarding champ Max Maeder is wise beyond his years. That much was clear in an episode of Mediacorp variety show Find Me A Singaporean: The World’s My Stage.

Host Sharon Au met up with the 18-year-old in Hyères, France — he was there for the Semaine Olympique Française — and they chatted about his life and sports. 

Max may be young, but his accomplishments are nothing short of remarkable. He won the bronze medal in the Men’s Formula Kite event at the Paris Olympics 2024, is Singapore's youngest Olympian, and is also the first to clinch a medal on Singapore’s sailing team. 

Max learnt to be super independent since a young age because of sports — he had his first competitive race at 11 — and had to travel and be away from his family for long periods of time. 

While shopping with Sharon in a supermarket, Max revealed that the first dish he ever learnt to cook was pasta bolognese, which he later whipped up for the host in his apartment.

While cooking, Max got on a video call with his girlfriend. Sharon teased: “We won’t film her, but we’ll show his affectionate expressions.”

Sharon then asked Max’s girlfriend, who is Singaporean, if she misses him, and though we don’t hear the girl’s answer — Sharon and Max shared a pair of earphones during the phone call — there's no doubt the answer was ‘yes’. 

“How many days more before he returns to you?” asked Sharon, and we find out that it’s 37 days before the young lovers get to see each other again.

They later took a stroll by the beach, where Sharon asked Max: “Have you loved the ocean since you were young?”

“I spent my childhood by the ocean," said Max. "I was swimming with my mum even before I learnt how to walk.”

Max, whose mum is Singaporean, and his dad, Swiss, spent his childhood travelling between Switzerland, Singapore, and the dive resort his parents ran in Sulawesi, Indonesia. 

“You’ve spent most of your time overseas, and are rarely in Singapore. You train hard in every city and rarely have fun. Do you feel like you missed out on a lot of your childhood?” asked Sharon. 

Max said he feels like he doesn’t have friends of the same age to talk to sometimes but he has made many friends in his sport.

"They may not be of the same age, but we’re all competing in the same sport and the camaraderie is strong.”

Sharon also had a surprise for Max in the apartment — a video message from his parents. 

In the clip, Max's dad, Valentin, likened him to “a big puppy”, while his mum, Hwee Keng, added: “He’s like a Labrador or a Saint Bernard.”

His parents also addressed how Max has to be alone a lot because of his life as an athlete.

“It’s a good thing for kids to feel bored once in a while. It’s a good thing to feel lonely once in a while,” said Valentin. 

Hwee Keng added: “I think it’s very important that you know how to be with yourself. If you don’t know how to be with yourself, then how can you be with other people?”

She then said to her son: “You know what, Max? It’s been tough raising you. I’ve put in a lot of effort and had many sleepless nights, and you’re… too well behaved!”

Max's mum said she never had to worry about him, adding that she also has “nothing to complain about”.

“Go be cheeky, so I have something to complain about,” she joked 

Later, Sharon asked Max about the “loneliness” his parents spoke of. Max admitted that while he has felt lonely, he knows there's nothing much he can do about it.

“You have to feel it sometimes, and like they said, you have to deal with being with yourself," he said with a smile.

“That’s the question you always ask yourself. Is it worth it to do this? The fact that I’m doing this sport, or continuing to do it, means that it’s a resounding yes so far, right?"

Photos: Mediacorp

You can watch the full episode of Find Me A Singaporean : The World's My Stage with Max below.