David Cantero del Campo is the name on the triathlon community’s lips. After a brilliant end to 2024, in which he was crowned World U23 champion and made back-to-back World Cup podiums, he enters the new season as the coming man of the sport. First on his agenda is the small matter of WTCS Abu Dhabi.
“We are doing a good preparation,” said Cantero. “I have had some good consistency in training in combination with some running races.” For those that may have missed it, on 31st December Cantero took on a New Year’s Eve 10km in Madrid. His time? A cool 28:53 which represents a new personal best over the distance. With a knowing smile, Cantero added, “I think we have done some good preparation in a short period for Abu Dhabi.”
Almost one year earlier, Cantero was supposed to make his bow in the Series at the same venue. However, the last-minute cancellation of the event put his debut on ice. That would come later in the summer in Hamburg, although it did not go as planned.
“I had a slight problem with my foot and mentally I was not there. When your body is not a hundred percent ready, it's like your mind is a bit upset.” Rattled first by his niggle going into the race and then by the fast start in both the swim and the bike, Cantero ultimately did not finish. Yet he has taken plenty from the experience.
Moreover, unlike most new arrivals to the top level of triathlon, Cantero is armed with a weapon that marks him out from almost all of his peers. At each international race he finished last season – across four World Cups and the World U23 Championships – he was the fastest runner in the field. Hamburg and the European Championships in Vichy were the two exceptions; he did not finish either. Such speed elevates him to a rarefied level.
“Between 2021 and 2023 I did some athletics races,” explained Cantero. “I was 2nd at the European U20 Championships in the 5000m (in 2021). I raced twice at the European Cross Country Championships, like Hugo Milner now, and I think the experience of that training gave me a lot of consistency for the run part.”
The mention of Milner, the new owner of the fastest ever run split at a WTCS Final, serves as a reminder that Cantero’s star is not the only one currently climbing. Both men will be in Abu Dhabi where they will look to upset pre-race favourite, Olympic medallist Hayden Wilde.
“I want to see myself fighting with them and how my level compares with them.”
“It’s true for me the run was less of an issue than swimming. It might be more talent or more natural than the other ones that I had to work so much for. We are doing hard work on the swim part. We are training with some swimmers here in Alicante, but hopefully it (Abu Dhabi) will be a running race where a big group comes off the bike.”
When it is put to him that if the field stays together in Abu Dhabi he may be in the mix for a medal, Cantero laughed, albeit in a polite way as opposed to one that suggested he found the notion funny. “Why not?” came his response.
Even if the field does break up, an outcome that would not follow the trend of recent sprint distance iterations of the event, there are further lessons from last year for him to draw upon. “In Samarkand (at the World Cup), we lost 2 minutes 20 seconds on the bike to the leaders and I went onto the run thinking, ‘ok, I have to give all I have and let’s see what happens’.” Cantero ran through to 4th place, narrowly missing the podium. The race winner, 2022 World U23 champion Connor Bentley, finished only 21 seconds ahead. “I was so happy because it’s like we never have to give up because we closed 2 minutes, so for me that’s important to never give up on all types of races.”
Regardless of how Abu Dhabi plays out, Cantero is just getting started. In the months that follow, he will be targeting the Vina del Mar and Brasilia World Cups. Far from accruing experience, his mind is already on adding to his collection of gold medals. That he hopes to win, however, is not what stands out. Rather, it is the way he exudes confidence and the methodical approach that has governed his race selection.
Take Vina del Mar. “In that type of swim, where it is normally in a wetsuit because of the cold water, it’s incredible because I’m able to stay with the first group. In other places, without wetsuits, it’s much harder.” Another grin followed. “I think it’s a good opportunity to take the victory.”
In the bigger picture, there may be an opening for a dark horse like Cantero to cause a stir in the Series. The 2024 men’s overall WTCS podium, and indeed the Olympic podium, have commitments elsewhere as Wilde and Leo Bergere will be T100 Hot Shots while Alex Yee is taking on the London Marathon. “It’s a good opportunity, as you say, for the young guys like me to take it on and push ahead. These next two, three years until the next Olympic cycle starts again, we have the opportunity to test the level and then fight with all of them.”
Crucially, this is not a man over-awed in any way by the fight to come. Here we have an athlete that is respectful of his opponents in one breath but convinced of victory in the next, aware of his inexperience and vulnerabilities but sure in his capacity to turn races on their heads. It’s something the sport has seen before, the kind of athlete that smiles as they twist the knife, and it tends not to end well for their rivals. Whether it happens this year or beyond, David Cantero may become a big problem for the rest of the men’s field sooner rather than later.
