He elaborated on these feelings 24 hours later and said they were related to how the race had gone. Being competitive, his comments were something that happened “impulsively.”
“It wasn’t all positive, but it was strictly related to what happened on the water,” he explained.
“This was all before I had the knowledge of how it went in general and how people felt about it, and what actually I was able to bring for everyone else.”
Ultimately what is “way more important” is what happened after the outcome of the race, Maeder said. “(It’s) of course … the positivity, and the joy and the celebration,” added
In sport, he said, one is “forced to compete through comparison”. But the standard he holds himself to comes from within.
“You prepare for certain things, you plan for certain things. And the biggest thing is: Can you repeat what has happened? And can you follow what you planned ahead for?” he explained.
“It’s about how well you planned for it, how well did you prepare, and how well did you actually make it come true.”
And rather than feeling like he had let others down, if anything, it was more a sense of how much happier they could have been, Maeder added.
“That didn’t impact me as negatively as the standards I hold myself to,” Maeder added. “I was thinking about that less … It’s comes afterwards, it’s not a main thought of why I felt bad, it was a small part of it after everything else, maybe if at all.”
BUSINESS AS USUAL
As public expectations turn to the next Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and, naturally, a medal of perhaps a different sheen, Maeder is staying grounded. For now, it’s “business as usual.”
“I plan to continue competing, I plan to continue training, and I hope to be able to, in a small way, replicate something similar to what has occurred in the past few days,” he added.
“It doesn’t have to be on the same scale, but in a way where I can bring a smile or joy to people’s faces that follow me, that support me, that help me through my own efforts in sport.
“I have said multiple times that it is one of the main goals I have and it will continue to be one of the main goals I have.”