Maeder Wins Formula Kite European Open Title Unbeaten

Maximilian Maeder won the men's Open title at the 2026 Formula Kite European Championships in Akyaka. He took the deciding Grand Final race to close an unbeaten season.

Regatta leader wins the single deciding race

The Medal Series in Akyaka narrowed the fleet to one Grand Final. Qibin Huang and Flavio Marx climbed through the quarter-finals, then Riccardo Pianosi and Valentin Bontus fought their way into the final. There they joined regatta leader Maeder and second-placed Gian Stragiotti.

Maeder produced a dominant ride and won the one race that mattered. Stragiotti crossed the line just behind him, taking the European Championship title reserved for European sailors. The two men are training partners, and both were marking birthdays on the same day in Turkey.

A twentieth birthday, more titles behind him

The victory fell on Maeder's 20th birthday; he was born on 12 September 2006. The single Grand Final race decided the Open crown outright. The result also extended his winning run through the season, with no defeat on the record.

The Singaporean has led the class for several years. He is a two-time Formula Kite world champion and the 2023 Asian Games champion. Before that he built a long streak of junior gold medals, having won his first title back in 2018.

At Paris 2024 he took bronze in the men's kite event, a first Olympic sailing medal for Singapore. That day the gold went to Valentin Bontus, one of the rivals he beat to the line in Akyaka. The two met again here on the water.

The European Open crown adds another line to a career shaped early and moving fast. His season closes with the record still clean.