DBS x Maximilian Maeder Fireside Chats
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00:00I could please invite Mr. Piyush Gupta, Mr. Max Mader up onto the stage
00:04where we will kick-start our fireside chat.
00:08I'm handing over to you now, Piyush.
00:10So I need everybody to show Max some love.
00:13Oh! Thank you.
00:18When I do this, I want this side of the room to go,
00:22Maxi, then you say mum. Okay?
00:25So that's a homage to Max Mader.
00:28Maxi, mum! Maxi, mum!
00:31Maximum!
00:33Yeah, okay!
00:36Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
00:38So proud of you.
00:39Thank you very much.
00:41Okay.
00:43Oh, good.
00:45Oh, my.
00:46Oh, my God.
00:47There are lots of questions.
00:48We have time to go through them.
00:50I want to start with,
00:52how does it feel like to be in the Olympics?
00:55You've done world championships.
00:57Is the Olympics different?
00:59Yeah, it is very different, actually.
01:01I mean, first of all,
01:03it's all the connection
01:05and all the hype around it
01:07and what you view.
01:09And also, there's a special tinge
01:11of that competition
01:13being a little bit different.
01:15If there was one way I could put it,
01:18I just heard a story recently
01:21and I felt like it related very well
01:24to how it feels like to compete
01:27at a high-pressure event,
01:29something like the Olympics.
01:31And it was about Ronaldo.
01:33And in his training,
01:35you could put two goalies in the goal,
01:38you kick the ball, he kicked the ball,
01:40and it would go in, no problem, every time.
01:42It would still score, right?
01:43It would still score.
01:44And then, when it comes time
01:47to a pressured environment,
01:50and it's for the nation,
01:52it's for that one winning goal,
01:54it's down to the wire,
01:55you have to score,
01:56everyone's watching.
01:57Suddenly, for Ronaldo,
01:59the goal begins to shrink,
02:01the goalie grows,
02:03he starts to have six arms
02:06like an Indian god,
02:08and it all becomes very difficult
02:10to score.
02:12And I guess that analogy
02:14was what it felt like
02:16somehow at the Olympics.
02:18It's a little bit of that
02:19special flavor of competition.
02:20That's fantastic.
02:21That's what my people tell me.
02:22They do 20 mock presentations
02:25among them,
02:26and when they come to present to me,
02:27the goal looks very small.
02:31But is the pressure real?
02:33I mean, in the sense that,
02:34obviously, it's fun and so on,
02:36but is there a different kind of pressure
02:37because you're also representing
02:38the country at this stage?
02:40Well, I think
02:42the pressure that I feel
02:43comes from myself,
02:44because I hold myself
02:46to certain standards,
02:47and I want to feel
02:49that I've done good enough
02:50for myself in a certain way.
02:52But I'd be lying if I said that
02:54everything around didn't affect me
02:56at all.
02:58It influences
03:00how much pressure or
03:02how I put pressure on myself
03:04and, you know,
03:06how I deal with that.
03:07And so, because it comes from myself,
03:09I'm experienced
03:11in dealing with it
03:12and managing it
03:13in a certain way.
03:14And so, I guess
03:16I'm lucky in the sense that
03:17the pressure that I feel
03:18comes from myself,
03:19and I'm experienced
03:21in dealing with that.
03:23Cool. I asked your mom earlier.
03:24So, was she biting her fingernails
03:26the whole time?
03:28She said she was too busy
03:29entertaining family and friends
03:31in all the different places
03:32and didn't have time to focus on that.
03:33That's an excellent way
03:34to distract yourself from pressure,
03:35trying to do tasks
03:37that require your attention.
03:39So, that's great.
03:40So, how do you prepare
03:42and how do you deal with the four days
03:44and the fact that Vince kept disappearing
03:46and just had to hang and do nothing
03:47and so on?
03:48Well, I mean, we're experienced with, you know,
03:50dealing with this type of delay
03:53and this type of, oh, wait.
03:55Right?
03:56And sometimes you don't get to
03:58go immediately.
03:59And so, you get stuck in this.
04:01And it's part of the game.
04:02It's part of the race.
04:03Sometimes you don't get to
04:04go off immediately.
04:06And so, what you do is, well,
04:08you stay ready.
04:09You stay poised.
04:10You go through your checklist.
04:12You listen to music.
04:13You relax.
04:14And you have more than enough to do
04:17simply keeping yourself ready
04:19and keeping yourself primed
04:20for the moment
04:21that's about to come.
04:22And that occupies you more than enough
04:24for at least that day.
04:26That's really cool.
04:28So, describe to me your four days.
04:30How did you feel through those four days?
04:32Those four or five days,
04:34they went by like this.
04:35Really?
04:36Yeah.
04:37Okay.
04:38Looking back on it,
04:39it felt like that.
04:40And during, I mean,
04:42it was simply just
04:44honing in on, like I said,
04:45going through the procedure,
04:47going through the tasks
04:48that you have prepared,
04:49following the plan
04:51that you had set out
04:52to execute.
04:54Right?
04:55And so,
04:56even with all the delays,
04:58it was full of, you know,
05:00things going on in your mind
05:01and things to do
05:02and all of that.
05:04So, when you were going
05:05into that final day, right?
05:07Yeah.
05:08If I remember,
05:09you had one win
05:10you could carry forward.
05:11Right.
05:12Another guy had two wins.
05:13That's how it works.
05:14You can carry forward and so on.
05:15Yeah.
05:16So, you felt good about
05:17where you were
05:18going into the final day?
05:19Well, I mean,
05:20I felt good, yeah.
05:21There was a certain advantage
05:23in my position
05:24at the very least.
05:25And I didn't have to go
05:27through the uncertainty
05:28of the semi-final.
05:29And so,
05:30you know,
05:31all of that, etc., etc.
05:32So, basically, yeah,
05:33I was in a good position.
05:34And,
05:35very fun fact, actually,
05:37I was less nervous
05:38for the Olympic finals
05:41than I was
05:43for some regional event
05:45I did a couple of months ago
05:47for the finals there.
05:49So, I mean,
05:50that means the plan
05:51worked out well.
05:52I felt great.
05:53I'm very focused.
05:54Brilliant.
05:55So,
05:56I didn't know
05:57about kite foiling
05:58as everybody.
05:59So, he taught me
06:00what it was.
06:01I asked him,
06:02what the hell is kite foiling?
06:03And now that I've seen it
06:04on TV
06:05and I figured out
06:06how it works,
06:07what a great sport.
06:08But,
06:09I was asking
06:10some technicalities
06:11as I'm going to ask him.
06:12So, you know,
06:13like in the last day,
06:14you changed from
06:15a big kite
06:16to a smaller kite.
06:17Yeah.
06:19How do you decide?
06:20How do you make the decisions?
06:21Well,
06:22I mean...
06:23Do you make them?
06:24Your coach makes them?
06:25The team makes them?
06:26You look at the data?
06:27Or it's just intuition
06:28or gut feel?
06:29How do you decide?
06:30Well,
06:31I think you just listed
06:32all the reasons
06:33or all the things that...
06:34I think I'm a good kite foiler.
06:35You're a natural.
06:38Yeah,
06:39all of those together
06:40in some way
06:41plays a part.
06:42I think the only thing
06:43that was missed was
06:44what your competitors take
06:45makes an influence
06:46on your decision
06:47because,
06:48well,
06:49you're competing against them
06:50so you want to do well
06:51relative to them.
06:52And so after
06:53you ask yourself,
06:54your coach,
06:55the data,
06:56the conditions,
06:57your intuition,
06:58you also ask
06:59what are my competitors taking?
07:00Right?
07:01And
07:02I switch...
07:03But do you know
07:04what they're going to take
07:05or they just suddenly
07:06show up with a
07:07different kite?
07:08Well,
07:09if they go back
07:10to the beach
07:11and are,
07:12you know,
07:13disappeared from the ocean
07:14you try and make
07:15an assumption
07:16on what they're trying
07:18to do.
07:19And
07:20you can tell
07:21based on,
07:22you know,
07:23oh,
07:24if the wind's strong
07:25and you're both
07:26on the same kite
07:27which feels too big,
07:28right,
07:29you might want
07:30to switch down.
07:31And if they go back
07:32they're most likely
07:33switching down.
07:34Switching down.
07:35Yeah,
07:36exactly.
07:37So you can make
07:38a prediction
07:39based on,
07:40you know,
07:41the conditions.
07:42And that's what
07:43you told me
07:44that at the first race
07:45you felt the wind
07:46was very strong
07:47and so
07:48it's like,
07:49you know,
07:50it's like
07:51if you,
07:52if you,
07:53I don't know how
07:54to make a good analogy.
07:55I don't have one
07:56at this point.
07:57But it was catching
07:58a lot of wind
07:59and so it needs
08:00to catch less wind
08:01to be able
08:02to pull the same amount
08:03so that I'm not being
08:04thrown off the board.
08:05Right?
08:06So I went back
08:07to change
08:08to a smaller kite.
08:09Yeah.
08:10Oh,
08:11that's,
08:12sorry,
08:13I get the process.
08:14Okay,
08:15the Olympic village itself.
08:16Yeah.
08:17Is it about
08:18the muffin?
08:19Yes.
08:23It is indeed.
08:24Please give your
08:25honest review on
08:26the Olympic village
08:27chocolate muffin.
08:28Oh my goodness.
08:29I'm really
08:30embarrassed about
08:31the fact that
08:32I didn't know it was
08:33such a big deal.
08:34Even I didn't know
08:35it was such a big deal.
08:36I mean,
08:37it was rumored
08:38that,
08:39you know,
08:40Max,
08:41you gotta try
08:42the chocolate muffins.
08:43And I was like,
08:44ah,
08:46I'll pass.
08:47I really should have
08:48not passed.
08:49I really should have
08:50tried the muffin.
08:51I can't tell you
08:52anything.
08:53I can just tell
08:54that my friend,
08:55he looked for
08:56the muffins every day
08:57as best he could
08:58because they were
08:59that good.
09:00So probably
09:01very,
09:02very tasty.
09:03I didn't try them though.
09:06And did you hang out
09:07at the actual
09:08Olympic village as well?
09:09We were in Marseilles
09:10for the whole competition.
09:11Yes, yes.
09:12But you were there
09:13for the opening ceremony.
09:14And the closing ceremony.
09:15I mean,
09:16it was great to mingle
09:17with some of the
09:18Singaporeans.
09:19Did you make a lot
09:20of friends?
09:21Well,
09:22I was...
09:23You're such a good
09:24looking guy.
09:25All the girls
09:26must have been
09:27hitting on you,
09:28right?
09:29Nothing of the sort.
09:30They're all good
09:31looking there.
09:32Are you not saying
09:33it because your mom
09:34is sitting over here?
09:35My grandmother's
09:36opinion doesn't
09:37count at the village.
09:38Well,
09:39I mean,
09:40I was exhausted
09:41any time I went
09:42to the village.
09:43So I didn't do
09:45anything.
09:46Were you surprised
09:47with the degree
09:48of celebration
09:49and emotion
09:50in Singapore
09:51and the fan following
09:52and the bus parade
09:53and so on?
09:54Completely blown away.
09:55Yeah,
09:56completely blown away.
09:57I mean,
09:58way outside
09:59the expectations.
10:00I mean,
10:01you're Singapore's
10:02rock star.
10:03No, no,
10:04come on.
10:05No,
10:06I think
10:07it puts a smile
10:08on my face.
10:09Really,
10:10it does.
10:11Well,
10:12you've given
10:13all of us
10:14I mean,
10:15I just answered
10:16some questions
10:17on social media
10:18and my answer
10:19was the thing
10:20I get most
10:21emotional about
10:22so far
10:23is people
10:24coming up to me
10:25and saying
10:26thank you
10:27or congratulations
10:28or something
10:29of that sort
10:30and all I can
10:31express in the
10:32small moments
10:33of time
10:34that we have
10:35together
10:36is thank you
10:37or that it's
10:38my pleasure
10:39or that I'm
10:40really grateful
10:41that you come
10:42and share
10:43the fact
10:44that you're happy
10:45with me
10:46and I can't
10:47give the full
10:48extent of
10:49how much it
10:50means to see
10:51that my
10:52efforts in
10:53sports
10:54have made
10:55such a
10:56joyous impact
10:57on your
10:58day or
10:59your week
11:00or whatever
11:01it may have
11:02been.
11:03You're a
11:04really nice
11:05guy.
11:06I'm not
11:07sure whether
11:08it's your
11:09dad,
11:10your mom
11:11or your
11:13family.
11:14How do you
11:15feel about
11:16what are
11:17the next
11:18steps,
11:19milestones,
11:20ambitions?
11:21What do
11:22you want to
11:23do?
11:24Simply
11:25continue.
11:26Who doesn't
11:27want to
11:28keep
11:29delivering
11:30this type
11:31of emotion
11:32and this
11:33type of
11:34joy?
11:35I enjoy
11:36the sport.
11:37I love it.
11:38I can
11:39continue
11:40having this
11:41process of
11:42learning,
11:43of
11:44bringing
11:45joy,
11:46all of
11:47this through
11:48one medium.
11:49Obviously,
11:50I would want
11:51to continue.
11:52That's
11:53fantastic.
11:54What happens?
11:55Is there a
11:56world championship
11:57every year,
11:58every other
11:59year?
12:00Yes.
12:01What's your
12:02next big
12:03competition?
12:04Well,
12:05probably the
12:06next time I
12:07get to
12:08compete together
12:09with everyone
12:10because that's
12:11one of the
12:12biggest
12:13milestones.
12:14I just
12:15want to
12:16have this
12:17trend of
12:18always up,
12:19up,
12:20up.
12:21Continuous
12:22improvement.
12:23Yes.
12:24It's an
12:25infinite process.
12:26It's a
12:27relatively new
12:28sport,
12:29right?
12:30Right.
12:31How do
12:32you think
12:33you'll be
12:34doing this
12:35when you're
12:3640 years
12:37old?
12:38Oh,
12:39well,
12:40how far
12:41forward should
12:42I be
12:43thinking?
12:44Well,
12:45I mean,
12:46the way I
12:47see it is
12:48if you
12:49stay in a
12:50position to
12:51continuously
12:52improve and
12:53learn and
12:54stay on top
12:55of things and
12:56still be able
12:57to share,
12:58like I've
12:59said,
13:00share the
13:01journey,
13:02then be it
13:03when the
13:04time comes,
13:05I probably
13:06will be more
13:07prepared,
13:08right?
13:09And I think
13:10for me,
13:11is it about
13:12the Olympics?
13:13I mean,
13:14it's a great
13:15big milestone,
13:16like I've
13:17just had.
13:18However,
13:19you know,
13:20the entire
13:21thing,
13:22what makes
13:23it worth it,
13:24what makes
13:25the experience
13:26all there,
13:27is small
13:28moments like
13:29that on the
13:30street or
13:31finals where
13:32family who's
13:33watching or
13:34friends who
13:35are watching
13:36enjoy.
13:37It doesn't
13:38matter.
13:39It's all
13:40about the
13:41experience,
13:42all the
13:43lessons that
13:44you learn
13:45around it.
13:46That's just
13:47so fantastic.
13:48I'm going to
13:49go back and
13:50see.
13:51Okay.
13:52I asked this
13:53as well,
13:54but what went
13:55through your
13:56mind during
13:57that moment
13:58when you
13:59got out of
14:00the water
14:01after your
14:02final race?
14:03Well,
14:04I think it
14:05was a very
14:06small world
14:07that immediately
14:08opened up after
14:09I arrived at
14:10the beach and
14:11hit with the
14:12wave of
14:13cheers,
14:14the longest
14:15hug of my
14:16life with my
14:17mother.
14:18And all of
14:19that,
14:20you know,
14:21that small
14:22little view
14:23disappeared and
14:24I saw all
14:25the happiness
14:26and the joy
14:27and the
14:28cheers and
14:29my perspective
14:30on what
14:31actually happened
14:32out on the
14:33water and
14:34the outcome
14:35and how
14:36this happened
14:37were two
14:38completely
14:39separate things
14:40and I feel
14:41way better
14:42about one
14:43than I do
14:44about the
14:45other.
14:46You know,
14:47you were,
14:48your mom said
14:49you were
14:50a little
14:51disappointed.
14:52You were
14:53the only
14:54person in
14:55the world
14:56who must
14:57have been
14:58nobody
14:59and small.
15:00Everybody
15:01else was
15:02so excited.
15:03All right,
15:04moving on.
15:05So,
15:06and you told
15:07me you spent
15:08so many hours
15:09training,
15:10but just for the
15:11rest of the
15:12audience that
15:13have heard it,
15:14you want to
15:15describe a little
15:16bit about what
15:17your normal
15:18day is?
15:19Well,
15:20I mean,
15:21you know,
15:22it also depends
15:23on where I am,
15:24right?
15:25I probably
15:26do a little
15:27bit less
15:28training when
15:29I'm resting
15:30from a
15:31competition or
15:32coming back
15:33here in
15:34the morning.
15:35I
15:36do some
15:37sort of
15:38online
15:39lesson and
15:40then,
15:41unfortunately,
15:42I have to do
15:43chores because
15:44no one's with
15:45me in the
15:46home.
15:47No one
15:48to do it
15:49for me.
15:50And then,
15:51you know,
15:52you get
15:53yourself
15:54something to
15:55eat,
15:56you go for
15:57a morning
15:58training session,
15:59you come
16:00back,
16:01you rest,
16:02you eat
16:03and vice
16:04versa,
16:05depending on
16:06the order,
16:07and then,
16:08you come
16:09back,
16:10if you have
16:11more studying,
16:12you do it,
16:13if not,
16:14you relax,
16:15you make
16:16yourself a
16:17meal,
16:18do the rest
16:19of the chores,
16:20prepare yourself
16:21for bed,
16:22and you
16:23just go
16:24through the
16:25routine.
16:26That's
16:27cool.
16:28By the way,
16:29one of the
16:30things I realized,
16:31you mentioned
16:32it,
16:33I'm not
16:34trying to
16:35dissuade you,
16:36I'm just,
16:37yes,
16:38sir.
16:39It's a
16:40wonderful thing
16:41about the
16:42sports support
16:43in Singapore,
16:44it's great.
16:45And so,
16:46actually,
16:47I'm always
16:48struggling to
16:49find pants
16:50because my
16:51gym trainer is
16:52doing a
16:53very good job
16:54of training
16:55them.
16:56My legs
16:57are strong.
16:58So,
16:59yeah,
17:00you do
17:01have to
17:02balance
17:03it out
17:04as well.
17:05What is
17:06constant
17:07wind?
17:08Somebody
17:09wants to
17:10know if
17:11you want
17:12to go
17:13wing foiling
17:14with us
17:15at constant
17:16wind.
17:17Oh!
17:18It's about
17:19time I
17:20learn wing
17:21foiling.
17:22You're right.
17:23I should
17:24come by and
17:25begin to
17:26learn wing
17:27foiling.
17:28I'll see
17:29if I can
17:30do it.
17:31I'll see
17:32if I can
17:33do it.
17:34It's
17:35about
17:36time I
17:37learn wing
17:38foiling.
17:39It's
17:40about
17:41time I
17:42learn wing
17:43foiling.
17:44It's
17:45about
17:46time I
17:47learn wing
17:48foiling.
17:49It's
17:50about
17:51time I
17:52learn wing
17:53foiling.
17:54It's
17:55about
17:56time I
17:57learn wing
17:58foiling.
17:59It's
18:00about
18:01time I
18:02learn wing
18:03foiling.
18:04It's
18:05about
18:06time I
18:07learn wing
18:08foiling.
18:09It's
18:10about
18:11time I
18:12learn wing
18:13foiling.
18:14It's
18:15about
18:16time I
18:17learn wing
18:18foiling.
18:19It's
18:20about
18:21time I
18:22learn wing
18:23foiling.
18:24It's
18:25about
18:26time I
18:27learn wing
18:28foiling.
18:29First
18:35of all,
18:43you
18:44have a
18:46team,
18:47a family
18:48and you
18:49do it
18:50all for
18:51yourself.
18:52Were
18:53they
18:54discipline
18:55or
18:56totally
18:57All right. I have another question. I'm not sure whether to ask the question or not. It
19:08says anonymous, and I don't know the gender of the person who's asking.
19:12I'm completely, I mean, yeah, I'm not, I have no filter. It's all right.
19:16But maybe you should, because it says, are you single and available?
19:19It might be useful to have a filter sometimes. Yeah, I think I might want to know the gender of that person.
19:28I don't know the gender, I'm not sure whether I want to ask you or answer the question.
19:33Yeah. All right. Let me see. You know, you answered, it's another weird part.
19:43No, we got to hear these now. These are entertaining.
19:46Would you rather lose, what would you rather lose? All your teeth or all your hair?
19:52Why would somebody ask the question? And why would people vote for it?
19:58I mean, can you give me like 24 hours? I got to have a deep think about this.
20:04I'm telling you, you got very intelligent. How's the Olympic village cardboard bed?
20:08Is it as uncomfortable as they all say it is?
20:12Personally, I think they're a little bit being soft here, but I slept like a baby each time.
20:17Maybe because I was exhausted, but they were fine for me.
20:21Okay, this is a more philosophical one. Okay.
20:24Given you're 17, I'm not sure. What advice would you give to children and teenagers
20:30if they decide to take the road less traveled in the unconventional route?
20:34Wow. Okay. Have you thought about this yet?
20:38I don't think I'm in a position to give good advice, but my opinion on that topic would be the fact that,
20:47I say this as advice as well, is if you really give yourself a chance, I promise you,
20:55you will be surprised by your own capabilities, by what you are able to do
21:02if you simply let what you think you can't do, not hold you back from what you actually can do.
21:10Another way to say what you're saying is, trust your spark.
21:14There we go. Trust your spark in a very elongated manner. Exactly.
21:20To the max. To the max.
21:23We're going to change the whole tagline. Trust your spark to the max.
21:29But was there ever a time where you wanted to give up in this thing?
21:33You told me not really, because you had a track record of success.
21:37I am such a lucky individual. I don't think I can ever pay it back or express it completely.
21:43And like you said, I don't think there was anywhere near that moment.
21:50And that only makes me want to be able to give a taste of that to people,
21:59and say that I can share this because I'm so lucky. I want to share it.
22:05And I want to see all of this goodness not go to waste.
22:10Let me ask the flip of the question. When was it when you first started figuring that I'm good enough to,
22:16well, at 11 you said you'll be world champion.
22:19Was there a time when you really figured, hey, I'm really good at this, and I could really be up there?
22:25I guess there was one specific event that sticks out in memory.
22:32This was post-lockdown. It was in 2020. We had the European Championships.
22:38And 14 at the time, I went, and I participated there, and I managed to get inside the top 10, fortuitously.
22:48However, that catapulted me with momentum to try and stick to it, continue it again,
22:54and it gave me a fresh wave of motivation.
22:58I guess if you're top 10 in the world, that gives you motivation.
23:03I've got some pretty selfish, devious questions.
23:07Oh.
23:08So now that you've won the bronze prize money, do you think DBS can help you manage your wealth?
23:16I don't think there's anyone more qualified to, honestly.
23:20Trust your spark and trust our spark, too.
23:22Yeah, yeah. I'll trust your spark.
23:28I've got another. What career will you consider after kite foiling?
23:33Can we interest you in a career in DBS?
23:37Hey, I think you stick to kite foiling for now.
23:40I think you're doing good.
23:43Okay, apart from kite foiling, on tirelessly pursuing your passion and clinching a podium title,
23:49besides kite foiling, what are some other areas of interest you're pursuing?
23:54Do you have time for other stuff?
23:56Well, of course I do.
23:57I think, obviously, I have an education to uphold, and I continue on that.
24:05And so, yeah, that occupies most, or should occupy at least, most of the rest of the time.
24:12I've put that a little bit on the side for the Olympics.
24:15However, I think it's relatively commonly known that I do enjoy a good game of chess and improving at chess,
24:21and my competitive spirit just pushes me to say, you know, I want to be better at chess, right?
24:27All right.
24:28So that's my hobby.
24:30So that's my grandmaster coming up.
24:32And there's another. I missed this one.
24:34It says there's a recent article on your kite foiling achievements
24:37that you pioneered a slingshot move that others are copying.
24:41Oh.
24:42How do you plan to introduce new tricks to up your game?
24:46What is a slingshot move? How does it work?
24:48Well, okay.
24:49So to give the full explanation on the slingshot move, it's you round a mark, right?
24:55You go around a mark when you're racing, and you have to round this mark in clockwise or anticlockwise,
25:02depending on where you're going.
25:04And basically, when you arrive too tight, right, it's like not taking the right corner in racing.
25:12It's basically a racing line, but out on the water, right?
25:16So instead of arriving at the mark and then starting your turn there,
25:19you start your turn earlier, and you go down.
25:22And because you start your turn before that, you accelerate before that.
25:27And as people are decelerating, you are accelerating, making it look like a slingshot, right?
25:33And so that was something that I did for the first time in my maiden, you know, good event, right?
25:42And it was flashy in that sense.
25:45But it gave you an edge.
25:47It gave me an edge, yes, yes, on that day. It did.
25:51So are you going to come up with more of these?
25:54Well, I don't know if they're going to be as flashy.
25:57I mean, there are some small little tricks that I've picked up since then,
26:01but perhaps they're not as visible, and I guess that's a good thing for me
26:04because I don't have to keep coming up with new ones all the time if I get to try to improve the ones I have,
26:09and that they're not so easily spotable and copyable.
26:13I've got a question, I think for Valentin more than for you.
26:16Oh.
26:17The people here want to know, can we visit Vaka 2B dive resort?
26:21My team would love to go there for an off-site.
26:25Yeah, it's definitely a question for him.
26:27Really impropositional.
26:31Well, it's your turn to trust our smile.
26:34That's also true. That's also true. That's also true.
26:38Max, how has the partnership with DBS influenced you as an athlete?
26:42Well, we've already had a long partnership, so I doubt that's an appropriate question,
26:45but hopefully we can continue this partnership for long,
26:49so sometime in the future we can say that we have influenced you.
26:55I'm not sure why somebody's asked this question.
26:57I'm really, I'm really, you know, he's scrolling through this iPad.
26:59I'm like, oh, this is, I'm curious to see what type of question comes next.
27:04There's been some very entertaining ones.
27:05I have no idea why this question's here.
27:07Okay.
27:08There must be some logic, but I'm just not smart enough.
27:11Do you listen to the song, do-do-do-do, Max Verstappen to hype yourself up?
27:16Okay.
27:17There's obviously some reference. I have no idea.
27:19Yes, there is a reference.
27:21What is the reference?
27:22So, in F1, there's a person called Max Verstappen.
27:25That I know.
27:26Yes, and obviously due to how well he's doing and his popularity,
27:31they made a little bit of a theme song for him, right?
27:35And I think that's the one he's referencing.
27:39Because it probably has my name in it and, you know, do-do-do-do.
27:43I think that's what he's trying to do with that melody and everything.
27:46And, yeah.
27:48To answer the question, I've heard it before,
27:50but I don't think I play it in my head all the time.
27:56What are the challenges in preparation ahead for you in the LA Olympics?
28:00We talked about that a bit.
28:04Let me see.
28:07Being a public figure must come with specific stresses.
28:10Oh.
28:11You're really a public figure.
28:12Wow, okay.
28:13You're going to have to wear a disguise to walk on the streets.
28:15No, no, no. No such thing.
28:17So, what do you do to switch off? That's the question.
28:19What do I do to switch off?
28:21Yeah, to wind down, relax.
28:24Well, you know, head to bed, I guess.
28:27I don't know what else to say.
28:30Oh, brilliant.
28:32I mean, you know, about that, I've had to eat my words.
28:35Leslie here, who's been very nice as to, you know,
28:40help me around and be together with me with all these engagements,
28:44he said, you might want to try and stick to more quiet places.
28:49And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no.
28:51I won't be recognized at all, right?
28:53It'll be the same as before, absolutely.
28:55And I completely stand corrected here.
28:58So, but the only thing that changes is that, okay,
29:02so here's the key difference I noticed, right?
29:06When you walk up to people and you get somehow,
29:11anyhow into a conversation about the sport, right,
29:14it's no longer a curious, you know, how does the sport work?
29:18What's your philosophy?
29:19What's your approach, right?
29:21It's all like, well, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
29:24but can I get a photo?
29:26Right?
29:27It's all that.
29:29That's how I felt the interactions have changed.
29:32Okay, I've got millions of questions.
29:39Did you devour some chocolate muffin again?
29:42Did you?
29:44I really should have had it.
29:46How did you learn Chinese?
29:48You speak it really well.
29:50How did you learn Chinese?
29:51Well, I have my mother to thank for that.
29:53She's been speaking in Chinese to me since she first saw me,
29:59which was before I was conscious, right?
30:01So that was definitely a big help.
30:06Any time I would ask anything in another language,
30:09I would get zero reply.
30:11And I would think, mom, what is wrong with you?
30:13You know, I'm coming with you with, you know,
30:15what are we going to eat tonight?
30:17Zero response, completely silent.
30:19Complete Asian tiger mom.
30:20Yeah.
30:22We call it dragon mom.
30:24You know, it's more auspicious.
30:26By the way, somebody says, I'm not sure it's correct,
30:28your twin brother is in the audience.
30:30Is he in the room or somewhere?
30:31Twin brother.
30:32Oh.
30:35I see it.
30:36I see it.
30:40I wonder where that came from.
30:44Anybody want to ask me a question?
30:46Yeah, please.
30:48Apart from the pigeon hook?
30:51You want to ask?
30:52Can we give her a microphone?
30:54Stand up and shout.
30:56Yeah, bring the microphone.
31:00Hi, I'm just curious about how you'll be spending the prize money.
31:05Oh.
31:06Why are you looking at me asking that?
31:10No, no, because it's going to be going to them, right?
31:13Oh, that's cool.
31:19Yeah.
31:20Good suggestion.
31:22And I do have another question as well on how,
31:26if do you Google yourself actually and have you checked yourself out online
31:29on various social media platforms lately?
31:33I mean, I would be very guilty if I said I never did it at all,
31:36but the main reason why is so that any time my parents ask me a question
31:40about how that interview went, I have an answer because, you know,
31:45usually I forget some key details after an interview has happened.
31:51So when I do Google myself, it's to give an accurate answer to my parents
31:55when they ask me a question about what I've said, you know,
31:58because I never tell them what happened.
31:59I'm just like, oh, yeah, do it, and then it's done.
32:03Got it?
32:04You wanted to ask Max anything?
32:06You wanted Max to show off his language skills.
32:10Oh.
32:11Spanish or English or how many languages do you know?
32:14Okay, it depends on what you call, you know, speaking a language, right?
32:18English, obviously, and then German, Mandarin Chinese,
32:23depending on how far you stretch it, maybe some French, right?
32:27Maybe you should display some of your Mandarin.
32:31Thank you. Welcome, everyone. Thank you for listening to me speak.
32:41For everyone who speaks German, yes, I mainly speak with my father in Swiss German.
32:47Nobody here knows what he said.
32:48Right, okay.
32:49You could be making it up for us.
32:51Yeah, yeah.
32:53Oh, you know?
32:55At least someone understood, right?
32:59And for French, I speak French,
33:02and I learn French to study at the university in Switzerland.
33:07So you have to do another language.
33:12Yeah, we got someone.
33:14Too good, too good.
33:15All right.
33:16Do you eat roti prata with curry or sugar?
33:19Oh!
33:20The most important question of the day.
33:22Why do you make a choice?
33:24Why compromise?
33:26Why compromise?
33:28All right, I've gone through that whole list.
33:30I just want to say, we are so privileged to be able to be associated with you.
33:35There's a question here on trend jacking,
33:37which probably means riding on your success.
33:39Come again? Trend?
33:40Yeah, trend jacking.
33:41Ah, trend jacking. Oh, my goodness.
33:43That's what it means, right?
33:44So brand's trend jacking you're riding on your success.
33:47But I have to say, I am so pleased and privileged that we are partners and sponsors.
33:54More than your success, which is fantastic, you're an amazing guy.
33:58You're just, for your age, you're amazingly mature.
34:02And the nicest guy I've met in love.
34:05So just, I mean, how you dealt with a young kid was just so special.
34:08So thank you for being our partner.
34:10Thank you for being in this thing.
34:12Thank you for doing Singapore proud.
34:14Thank you for doing all of us proud.
34:16And I can only wish you every success as you go forward in your journey.
34:19I am absolutely and utterly flattered.
34:21Thank you so, so much.
34:23And, I mean, well, thanks for everyone here for joining us for a little chat as well.
34:28And it's my privilege as well to be able to be an ambassador for such a great brand.
34:37Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.
34:39A round of applause, please.
34:40A big round of applause, everybody.
34:42But don't go anywhere just yet.
34:45Because the fun is not over.
34:47Oh.
34:48All right?
34:50And I think I owe it to the person in this room who asked that very critical question.
34:58Would you rather lose your hair or your teeth?
35:02And I know who this person is, but I won't say.
35:05I won't say.
35:06Right.
35:07OK.
35:08Give me a second here, please.
35:10Yeah, yeah.
35:11That's all you got.
35:13Well, I'd have to go with hair because it's aesthetic and, unlike teeth, not too functional.
35:24Good answer, good answer.
35:27Piyush, do you want to answer the same?
35:31When I was in my late 30s or 40s, I read this article which said women like bald guys.
35:42I figured it out.
35:43I agree, I agree.
35:45All right.
35:46But in all honesty, in true DBS fashion, the fun is really not over.
35:51Because I think we can all agree it's not every day that we get two of the most charming,
35:58intelligent gentlemen here, here, all right, in the room.
36:03So, you know, we thought we'd use this opportunity to discover a different side of you,
36:08your spicier side of you.
36:10Uh-oh.
36:11I bounced the questions to you.
36:14Oh, no.
36:15Is that for me?
36:16No, no, no.
36:17The both of you have to answer these questions.
36:19So the team has actually prepared a quickfire segment.
36:22It works very easily.
36:24All you need to do is answer the question.
36:27At the same time, I'm going to ask you a question, you both answer, and that's it.
36:31So easy, right?
36:33That seems deceptively innocent.
36:35Oh, it's so innocent.
36:37But the weird thing I'm realizing is that people here, we love to ask weird questions.
36:43So, all right.
36:45I'm realizing that ever since I announced my forthcoming retirement,
36:47they're beginning to get away with more.
36:49All right.
36:52Are you ready?
36:53Who's ready to hear things get spicy?
36:56Yeah.
36:58All right.
36:59First question.
37:01Would you rather talk to animals or know every language?
37:06Talk to animals.
37:09Why?
37:11Because I'm an animal lover.
37:13I think animals are sentient, so I'd love to know what animals actually think.
37:17Well, I think for my travels, it would be useful to speak every language.
37:20But you can use Google Translate.
37:22Why do you need that?
37:23Well, I mean, it's cooler if you do it, right?
37:26You surprise them.
37:28That's also true.
37:30All right, next one.
37:31Still on animals.
37:32Would you rather be a unicorn or be a dragon?
37:35Oh.
37:37I'll have the secret third option, which is an octopus.
37:40What?
37:41Why?
37:42So you get kite foil.
37:44I mentioned that in some interview before.
37:48Honestly, I forgot the reason why.
37:51How about you, Piyush?
37:53Dragon, because then I can be like her.
37:58Would you rather sing everything you say or dance everywhere you go?
38:02Oh.
38:04Wow.
38:05You're really putting us on the spot with these.
38:07Hey, it was only me.
38:08It's a team, okay?
38:09I see a team all here, all contributed to this list.
38:11Okay.
38:12Okay.
38:14I'd have to dance everywhere I go because I spend a lot of time out on the water,
38:19so they won't see me dancing there.
38:21Fair enough.
38:22Piyush?
38:23I just don't know how to sing to save our dying grandmothers.
38:26If I could sing, I'd love to sing.
38:28So you're going to dance in every board meeting?
38:30No, no, I'm going to sing everything I say.
38:32All right.
38:33Would you rather always be 10 minutes late or 20 minutes early?
38:39Oh.
38:40We don't have to answer this question.
38:42We're going to ask Karen to answer this question.
38:44Oh!
38:45How come?
38:46Because she's never been early for anything.
38:50Well then, Karen, do you have an answer?
38:56All right.
38:57I'll let you off the hook with that one.
38:59We'll move on to the next one.
39:00Nice one, Piyush.
39:02For a pet, okay, would you rather have a giant hamster, like two meters tall,
39:09or like a little tiny elephant?
39:13I think the comical effect of having that little elephant in your room is like,
39:16oh yeah, I have that guy, right?
39:18It would be worth it for me to get that tiny elephant.
39:20I would go with the elephant as well.
39:22All right, all right.
39:23Would you rather only be able to whisper for the rest of your life or shout?
39:30I shout anyway all the time, so I don't think it's a choice for me.
39:34Yeah, I don't know how to whisper.
39:36It's impossible to do.
39:39All right.
39:40Would you rather live in a tree house or live in a cave?
39:43Oh, I live in my man cave all the time, anywhere I go.
39:47So cave it will be, I think, for me.
39:49Okay, I'll take the tree house then.
39:51All right.
39:52Would you rather...
39:53Okay, we're all obsessed with hair here.
39:55Would you rather have spaghetti for hair or marshmallows for feet?
39:59Oh!
40:00Would you rather have spaghetti for hair or marshmallows for feet?
40:04Oh, someone's targeting you.
40:11I'm really very concerned about the future of this bank is all I can say.
40:21You can't have marshmallows for feet.
40:23You can't do kite foiling.
40:24Exactly.
40:25I was about to say that.
40:26Yeah, I got to go for the spaghetti hair, unfortunately.
40:28I'll go for anything.
40:32Okay, just two last questions for this segment.
40:34So make it count.
40:35Would you rather always be too hot or always be too cold?
40:40Oh, that's an easy one for me.
40:41Too cold.
40:42That sensation is more familiar for me.
40:44Yeah.
40:45I'm too hot.
40:48All right, last question for this segment.
40:49Okay, would you rather always walk around with a permanent bubble of glitter
40:54or with a clown's nose?
40:56A permanent bubble of what?
40:58Glitter.
40:59Spark, spark, spark.
41:00Does that mean that people get glitter on them anywhere I go?
41:02Oh, no, no.
41:03It's just you trusting your spark.
41:06That's it.
41:07All right, I have to go with the glitter then.
41:08I got my spark all around me.
41:10Exactly.
41:11Piyush?
41:12I was born with that nose.
41:16Okay, I have so many follow-up questions, but I'll just keep it to one more.
41:21And this one is for you, Max.
41:22Okay.
41:23Don't worry, this one is not so spicy.
41:26Right.
41:27But before we do that, I'm just going to get a bit of a sense check from the crowd.
41:30Anybody, after watching the Olympics, and in particular, our most brilliant,
41:35DBS brand ambassador, Max Mader, in action,
41:38anybody felt like you needed to get on a bit of a fitness regime,
41:42or you want to get fitter?
41:44Can I get a show of hands?
41:45No one?
41:46Just me?
41:47Okay, all right, all right.
41:48Yeah, just a couple of us.
41:49His standard is too high.
41:51You need somebody who is aspirational, but you can achieve.
41:54You can't be Olympic.
41:56That's why I'm here, to ask for help, okay?
41:59Those of us here in the room, we want to learn from you,
42:02and we were wondering if you could maybe show us one or two super easy
42:07kite foiling stretches that we could all do at our desk,
42:12and maybe one that's age-friendly, for all ages.
42:15At your desk?
42:16Yeah, yeah, yeah.
42:17Easy, like at the desk, around the desk, yeah.
42:21We'll all demo it together.
42:22They want to do virtual kite foiling at the desk.
42:24Don't they bother?
42:26I was about to suggest.
42:28At that point, you might as well imagine yourself doing the whole sport,
42:31because that's a very effective exercise.
42:33I actually do that, like visualizations.
42:35Yeah, but do you do anything like something super effective
42:38that none of us know about you could teach us?
42:40I can only deliver you one, because that's all I do.
42:43All right, let's go, let's go, let's see it.
42:45It's just jumping, honestly.
42:47It's just jumping.
42:49Up and down?
42:50Yeah, because you have to warm up your muscles before racing,
42:54at least I like to, so that your muscles suddenly don't have a peak
42:59in terms of the output that they have to deliver.
43:02So before racing, if you've ever seen a clip of me,
43:04I just put my hands together, squat down as deep as I can,
43:08and jump.
43:10We can't do that now, Jas.
43:12So what place?
43:14You don't do any other stretching and things?
43:16I don't stretch.
43:18Not before racing, at least, not to warm up.
43:22All right, so Piyush, if you all suddenly see us doing jumping jacks,
43:25it's because we learned from the best.
43:27He told us.
43:29All right, ladies and gentlemen, before we move,
43:32thank you so much for answering those questions.