January 2025: “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.”
October 2025: David Cantero becomes a big problem for the rest of the men’s field.
Having entered the 2025 WTCS season freshly-crowned as the World U23 champion, David Cantero del Campo now leaves it as a Series medallist after catapulting himself to silver at the WTCS Final. Yet even in the wake of what he called his “best ever result”, there is no time for him to rest on his laurels. Not when his eyes are already on 2026, potential battles with Matt Hauser, Alex Yee, Hayden Wilde and more, and tilting for a spot on the overall WTCS podium.
“It (Wollongong) was the best way to end the World Championships and the World Triathlon Championship Series. This year I was trying to take my first WTCS medal and in every race, I was in the top-10, and it was close but not so close. Every race I was fighting for the top-10, for the top-5, but I couldn't make the first group, so I couldn’t run with the big ones. But in this race, in Wollongong, it was different.”
Although a breakaway had formed, headed up by Hauser and ably assisted by powerhouses such as Henry Graf (GER), Alessio Crociani (ITA), Csongor Lehmann (HUN) and Dorian Coninx (FRA), Cantero’s chase group was able to restrict the damage.
“I knew that with a one minute gap, it was possible maybe to fight for the podium. It was pretty nice because I was running with Max (Studer) and also Vasco (Vilaca). But they were going really, really fast and I didn't know how they would arrive at the end of the run. I was feeling pretty good, but also at the same time, I was going like, ‘oh, they're making the pace so hard’.”
“Max was setting the pace all the way and I was thinking how that man is so, so strong. So I was thinking, ‘just keep behind and try to save some energy’. I respect Vasco and Max so much. They are super strong athletes, so I thought, ‘ok, save energy, because these guys are some of the best in the world.”
“But when the technical delegate from the Spanish team told me that (Miguel) Hidalgo was coming back from the chase pack and was looking really strong also, I decided to attack with one lap and a half left. I was thinking, ‘this is my last shot to try to get the podium so I need to try it’.”
“When I attacked, I felt pretty nice and I surprised myself with how my legs were. I was like, ‘I'm going to get my first medal’. It was super special for me. But I didn’t realise I was also going to catch Crociani, and when I caught him, like, 300m from the finish line, it was crazy. This is the best way to end the race.”
A time of 28:54 was the quickest of the day, and indeed among the fastest ever recorded in the WTCS. Only a select few have ever broken the 29-minute barrier in the Series. Yet Cantero’s speed should come as little surprise, especially for those that have been paying attention to his rise.
An international track runner as a junior, at the start of the season he clocked an U23 Spanish record over 10km, an achievement that presaged his numerous field-leading run split across the WTCS this year. As things stand, he is the man to beat in the third discipline. However, the sport rarely stands still. And the previous two big beasts of the run, Olympic gold and silver medallists Alex Yee and Hayden Wilde, are expected to return in 2026.
“I'm excited to race them because I think it can be a really fantastic fight with all of them. And I also want to see myself with them and how I compare to them, because they are super strong athletes. I have to see where I am.”
“This year Alex was doing more of an athletics season and Hayen also had the T100. So I think for next year, it's going to be so interesting. There’s probably going to be a front group out there fighting but also a chase group with guys like me, Alex and Hayden fighting to catch them and close the gap. For the viewers, it’s going to be so exciting.”
His appraisal of the race dynamics is realistic enough based on 2025. That being said, Cantero has often slipped into front packs over the years and on the right course could put the cat among the leading pigeons in the WTCS. For now, though, that remains a best-case scenario and one that Cantero is not counting on.
The question to ask then is, where does he draw the line in his realism? More specifically, assuming the races play out as he anticipates, how much of a gap does he think he could shoot down to win further medals?
“One minute, maybe 1:30. It depends on the guys that are at the front and how they got to the run. It's true that in Wollongong, the other guys, like Csongor Lehmann and Dorian Coninx, I think they spent a lot of energy on the bike, on the breakaway, and then for the run I think they didn't have energy left. But yeah, I think maybe one minute, one minute and a half.”
He smiled as he contemplated the limits of what could be possible before repeating, “It's going to be interesting.”
Wollongong was not the end for Cantero’s season and his final outing in 2025 at the Florianopolis World Cup offered further illustration for the danger he poses to any breakaway group. After a bronze in Vina del Mar and a silver in San Pedro De La Paz in the weeks prior, Cantero mowed down a breakaway trio in Brazil, eating up the best part of a minute in 5km to claim gold. It was a timely reminder that, when he is in the groove, few are safe.
His planning has already started for the 2026 campaign and making his visions a reality. “This year I surprised myself. I’m going to take a good rest for next year and try to find a way in the next few years onto the WTCS podium in the overall.”
Forming the core of his WTCS agenda are the European legs, such as Alghero, Hamburg and Karlovy Vary. Then comes the Series Final on home turf in Pontevedra. Having been crowned World U23 champion in Torremolinos in 2024, Cantero is no stranger to success in Spain. He expects next year to be on another level.
“Pontevedra is special because all the crowds are in the city, it's amazing. I didn't see anything like it in any other race. But at the same time, that swim, it's pretty hard for me and those with the same profile of athlete as me. But it's how I say it's going to be: a fight from the first group and also from the chase group.”
And if that chase group gets within one minute, he will be right there to make the most of the opening. After all, the men’s WTCS field has now discovered a David Cantero problem. And he plans for it to only get worse.
