Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong asked the boy what he was doing, to which he replied, "I'm kitefoiling".
While Singaporean kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder did not witness this, the story, told to him by Mr Tong, struck a chord.
It demonstrated to Maeder the impact he has had on others since winning a historic bronze at the Paris Games.
The 18-year-old said: "It's something that's out in the wild, it's something that is surprising because of what it takes to capture a boy's imagination...
"First the information has to reach him, then he has to like it, and then he has to feel inspired by it.
"Having something like that captured on the beach touches me because it means there is a surprising amount of reach that I didn't know I had."
It has been a stellar season for the teenager, who won nearly all the events on the international kitefoiling circuit in 2024, including the European and world championships.
In August, he became Singapore's youngest Olympic medallist when he claimed bronze at the Marseille Marina.
Denne historien er fra December 05, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra December 05, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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