- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
- Ethel Kennedy, wife of RFK, dead at 96
- Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on trip
Teen kitefoiler Maeder ready to soar at Paris Games
Singapore have only ever won five Olympic medals but 17-year-old Max Maeder could change their fortunes when he zips into action in kitefoil's first appearance at the Games.
Maeder is already a double world champion in the sport, which sees competitors streak across the ocean on boards pulled by giant kites that can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometres per hour).
The son of a Swiss father and a Singaporean mother, Maeder has spent parts of his life in Switzerland, Indonesia, Croatia and Singapore, and speaks several languages.
He is the world's top-ranked kitefoiler despite his tender years, and he is determined to win gold in his sport's Olympic debut.
"It is important to me that I come and give my best consistently," Maeder told Singaporean newspaper the Straits Times last month.
"There is a condition attached to it -- that it should be better than my best that I gave last time.
"And while winning is fine, I absolutely despise losing," he added.
Maeder learned to kitesurf at the age of six at the hotel and scuba diving centre that his family ran in Indonesia.
He was schooled at home, giving him the time to train alongside his education.
Maeder said his kitefoiling career had been helped by the fact that he "didn't have a traditional upbringing".
"My parents had the courage to let me learn at home," he said.
"But my father had no intention of letting me tan on the beach. He told me: 'If you want to do this sport professionally... you are going to have to learn and educate yourself'."
Maeder has been independent from an early age and he began taking trips to Croatia, where he started training with one of his main rivals, Martin Dolenc.
- Need for speed -
It helped him hone his skills in the adrenaline-fuelled sport, which is said to be the fastest in the Olympics.
The event will see 20 racers all jostling their way around the course, using their skills to master the wind and find the fastest line.
Their boards are equipped with hydrofoils that make them look like they are flying over the water.
The sailing events at the Paris Games take place in the southern city of Marseille.
Maeder's rivals for the inaugural men's kite gold include Dolenc, Italy's Riccardo Pianosi and Cyprus's Denis Taradin.
Maeder knows he does not have much room for error in such a fast and furious sport.
"I'm not that far ahead of the others, if at all," said Maeder, who won gold at last year's Asian Games.
"At least I don't think so. It's very close, they're right there. I just need to make one tiny mistake and they will be there."
Swimmer Joseph Schooling remains the only Olympic gold-medallist in Singapore's history, beating Michael Phelps at the 2016 Rio Games.
Maeder -- a keen chess player who is always thinking about strategy -- will hope to join him in France.
"You have the capability, as do others, to prove yourself as the best athlete or the fastest at the moment," he told the Straits Times.
"And as challenging as it may be, the potential lies there and it's up to you to realise it."
M.Thompson--AMWN