Cantero and Barceló Crowned 49er FX World Champions in Cagliari

María Cantero and Paula Barceló have become world champions in the 49er FX sailing class. They won the title in Cagliari, Italy, which is south of Sardinia. This is their first time competing together as a team.

The sailor from Gran Canaria and the sailor from the Balearic Islands started training together in January. However, they paused their training so that Barceló could finish her medical studies.

This world championship was their first major competition as a team. It was also Barceló's first time as a skipper in this event. This is Cantero's first world title, and Barceló's second. She won her first in 2020 with Támara Echegoyen.

The Spanish team was in contention for the title throughout the competition, consistently placing in the top three. They started in first place, then dropped to second on the second day. On the third and fourth days, they were in third place overall. They finished the second-to-last day in second place, just two points behind the leader and with a 20-point lead over third place.

In the pre-final, the top 20 teams, including Cantero and Barceló, secured their spot in the Medal Race, which is the final race. Sweden, Canada, and the United Kingdom also qualified. By reaching the final, the Spanish team had already guaranteed themselves at least a bronze medal.

In the final race, the Spanish team sealed their victory. They had an amazing start, cutting in front of the other competitors and crossing the finish line first. This secured their gold medal, ahead of the Swedish team of Vilma Bobeck and Ebba Berntsson, who won silver. The Canadian sisters Georgia and Antonio Lewin-Lafrance took home the bronze.

After winning the title, Cantero said that they approach every day with the same attitude. "Saturday was tough, but on Sunday we were determined and eager to get what we wanted," she added. "It was a race where only winning mattered, so we took some risks, but it paid off because nothing else would have been good enough."

Cantero also said that the key to their victory was teamwork, not just between her and Barceló, but with everyone supporting them. "It's okay to make mistakes, we find a solution together and move on. We're building a great team."

Barceló added that the victory felt amazing. "We've been training really hard since June. We always dreamed of coming here and doing well, but we didn't imagine we'd win. We knew we had the potential, and it's been an incredible week with all sorts of conditions. We were always near the top, and never left the podium."