Spain is rarely a nation at the top of the Olympic medal table when the closing ceremony is held, yet one individual is heading to London in the hope of becoming their most decorated Olympic athlete, and his name is David Cal.
In Beijing he had the honour of carrying the Spanish flag into the Olympic stadium. In Beijing he won two silver medals, and previously in Athens he won a silver and a gold, and he has been quoted as saying that what has driven him on is wanting two Golds in London.
Cal competes in the C1 Class canoe, where competitors kneel and use a single paddle down one side of the canoe. Unfortunately he will only race in one event in London the 1000m event as the 500m event in which he won two of his medals has been dropped in favour of a 200m sprint.
Incredibly the 29 year old has had the same coach since he was 14 years old, Suso Morlan, and despite being a medal away from breaking Spanish Olympic history is relatively unknown in his homeland. That may well change after London.
For the record Cyclist Joan Llaneras and women’s tennis player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario are the two other Spaniards with four Olympic medals.
