David Cal

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Medal record
David Cal
David Cal
Men's Canoeing
Competitor for Flag of Spain Spain
Olympic Games
Gold 2004 Athens C-1 1000 m
Silver 2004 Athens C-1 500 m

David Cal Figueroa (born October 10, 1982 in Cangas, Galicia, is a Galician flatwater canoer. He specialises in the Canadian canoe C1 event.

Cal was a junior world championship bronze medallist in Zagreb in 1999 (C1 1000m). The following year he became European C1 500m junior champion at Boulogne, France in 2000. He also won the C1 1000m bronze medal. He was a reserve at the Sydney Olympics. At the 2002 European under-23 championships in Zagreb, Croatia, Cal won the C1 500m bronze medal.

His first international medal as a senior came at the 2003 World Championships at Gainesville, USA where he came second in the C1 1000m.

At the 2004 Olympics he won his initial heat of the 1,000 metres with a time of 3:50.091, qualifying directly for the finals. In the final, he edged out favourite Andreas Dittmer of Germany by finishing in a new world record time of 3:46.201, 0.52 seconds better than Dittmer's time, to win the gold medal.

In the 500 metres, Cal again won his initial heat to advance to the finals, with a time of 1:48.397. This time, however, Dittmer finished 0.34 seconds ahead of Cal's 1:46.723, leaving the Spaniard with a silver medal.

In the 2005 World Championships Cal again won the silver medal in the C1 1000m.

Cal is 183 cm (6'0") tall and weighs 91 kg (200 lbs).