Paula Barceló / Maria Cantero

A sailor from Mallorca, Paula Barcelo balanced her rise in the 49erFX with demanding medical studies; the pair even paused their competition schedule so she could finish her degree.

Switching to the helm for a new partnership with Maria Cantero, she made a stunning debut: the duo won the 2025 World Championship in Cagliari in what was effectively their first major event together.

They confirmed their class in 2026 with World Championship silver in Quiberon, missing back-to-back titles by a single point, and added the Spanish Cup at home in Mallorca.

Maria Cantero is from Gran Canaria and sails out of the Real Club Nautico de Gran Canaria. She first took to the water at age nine, working her way up through the Optimist and the twin-trapeze 29er and 29erXX before reaching the Olympic 49erFX.

The crewing half of Spain's world-beating skiff, Cantero joined helm Paula Barcelo at the start of 2025, and the brand-new pairing stunned the fleet by winning the 2025 World Championship in Cagliari at their first major regatta, a result celebrated with a hero's welcome back home in Gran Canaria.

Her work in the front of the boat helped the Spanish back it up with World silver in Quiberon in 2026, just one point off gold, confirming them as one of the leading FX crews heading toward Los Angeles 2028.