August 15, 2024
SINGAPORE – After making history, Maximilian Maeder said his main goal was to bring joy to his countrymen through his sporting achievements.
The 17-year-old, who bagged the bronze in the men’s kite event, witnessed that joy first hand on Aug 14 – five days after his feat on Singapore’s 59th birthday – when more than 5,000 people at various spots in downtown Singapore lined up to cheer on the kitefoiler and nine other returning Olympians during a celebratory parade on an open-top bus.
The bus carrying Maximilian – Singapore youngest Olympic medallist – badminton players Yeo Jia Min, Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, swimmer Gan Ching Hwee, kayaker Stephenie Chen, sailor Ryan Lo, sprinter Marc Louis and table tennis players Izaac Quek and Zhou Jingyi, set off from the Singapore Sports Hub shortly after 11.30am.
It returned to Kallang nearly 2½ hours later after making its way through five key locations – Bayfront Avenue, Chinatown, the Orchard Road shopping belt, Serangoon Road and Victoria Street.
As the bus cruised through each spot, many people showed their appreciation by waving Singapore flags, holding up posters – including one that read “I skipped work to see Max Maeder” – and shouting words of endearment like “We love you”.
Some in vehicles wound down their windows to wave at the athletes, while others honked their approval. Some even whipped out their mobile phones for a quick snap.
Up on the bus, the Olympians lapped up the adulation from the crowd, with Maximilian reciprocating by putting his arms above his head to form a heart shape.
The teenager, who became Singapore’s first Olympic medallist after Joseph Schooling won gold at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, said after the parade: “I was completely blown away. I had no idea that there would be such a cheer for us.
“It gives me a real sense of having made a great positive impact.”
Swimmer Gan, who broke her national women’s freestyle records in the 800m and 1,500m in Paris, called it “a really wonderful experience”, adding that it was “very heart-warming to see Singaporeans rally together to support Team Singapore”.
Shuttler Yeo said “seeing so many people coming out wearing red and white brought me a lot of pride to be representing Singapore”, while sailor Lo said the experience was something that he will “cherish for a very long time”.
At the parade’s first stop along Bayfront Avenue, more than 50 people had gathered at about 11.30am to show their support. Dressed in red, many were waving Team Singapore flags and making their presence felt with the clappers in their hands.
Rain then started to fall across the Shenton Way area and the athletes scrambled to put on ponchos. But the downpour did little to dampen the spirits of around 100 people who were awaiting the arrival of the bus in Chinatown.
Among them was home business owner Stefan Huan, 54, who had arrived at People’s Park Complex with his seven-year-old son Christian, at about 11am.
Mr Huan told The Straits Times: “I brought him here to hopefully motivate him to excel not just in sports, but in life. We are here not just to cheer on the medallist Max, but also the rest of the athletes.”
Meanwhile, more than 60 people waited near the junction of Orchard Road and Bideford Road to catch a glimpse of the bus. Among them were Ms Francesca Borreca, 35, and her boyfriend Fabio Iappelli, 40, in Singapore on a week-long holiday.
Ms Francesca Borreca (right) and her boyfriend Fabio Iappelli, both from Italy, are on a week-long holiday in Singapore. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES
The Italian tourists chanced on the festivities while visiting the shopping precinct and decided to stay to watch the celebrations.
Holding a Team Singapore flag she was given, Ms Borreca said: “It’s a great honour for Singapore to be able to win a medal. I saw it on the news the day we arrived.”
The loudest cheers were heard just outside School of the Arts Singapore, where about 500 students gathered at the front steps to cheer on the athletes.
Dance student Amelie Phua, 18, said: “It’s a good thing they organised this. It’s a good way to honour the athletes’ hard work. It’s cool that we got an Olympic medal. I’m so shocked that Max is younger than me.”
The scene in Serangoon Road and outside Tekka Market was similarly jubilant.
Among the crowd in Victoria Street, the last of the cheer points, were Mr Valentin Maeder and Ms Teng Hwee Keng, Maximilian’s parents, who stood in front of a mural of Team Singapore athletes.
Speaking moments after the bus went past, Ms Teng, 52, said: “Seeing Max on the bus just now, I was just thinking: What a blessed boy he is to win hearts and build connections.
“He’s quite popular, if I might say, he’s quite well liked. And I think he didn’t imagine it to be like that. I was also quite surprised by the support today; I wasn’t expecting such a crowd here.”
Yeo Jia Min, Terry Hee, Jessica Tan, Gan Ching Hwee, Maximilian Maeder, Stephenie Chen, Ryan Lo, Izaac Quek, Zhou Jingyi and Marc Bryan Louis. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES
- Additional reporting by Therese Soh, Wong Yang, Rebekah Chia, Natalie Tan and Wong Man Shun