David Cal Figueroa will be flag bearer for Spain

(BEIJING, July 18) -- David Cal Figueroa, the Athens 2004 Men's C1 1,000m champion, has been chosen as the flag bearer for the Spanish delegation in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Spanish Olympic Committee President Alejandro Blanco made the announcement at a press conference on July 17. Cal Figueroa won a gold medal in the C1 1,000m in Athens and a silver medal in the C1 500m. His 1,000m gold-winning time of 3:46.201 is the current world record. The 25-year old promising paddler is favored to defend his gold medal in Beijing.

Of the 288 Spanish athletes that have qualified for the Beijing Olympics, 165 are men and 123 are women. The final squad will be decided before the July 21 deadline for submitting final nominations from national Olympic committees.