CNA welcomes Paula Barceló after being crowned 49er FX World Championship runner-up

The Club Nàutic S’Arenal sailor shared her experience with instructors, students, families, athletes from the racing team, and members of the sailing school, following her brilliant result alongside María Cantero at the recently held 49er FX World Championship in Quiberon, France.

On the morning of Saturday, 23rd of May, Club Nàutic S’Arenal experienced a very special day as it welcomed Paula Barceló, CNA sailor and one of the leading figures in Spanish Olympic sailing today, after she was crowned 49er FX World Championship runner-up alongside María Cantero at the event held in Quiberon, France.

The gathering brought together more than 50 members of the club family, including racing team members, sailing school students, instructors, parents, and supporters, who came to show their support for the Mallorcan sailor after another outstanding international achievement. Barceló and Cantero, defending world champions, closed the championship with a silver medal after an intense final day, finishing just one point away from gold.

The event became much more than a sporting tribute. In a warm and familiar atmosphere, CNA manager Ferran Muniesa held an open conversation with Paula Barceló in front of the club’s young sailors, during which she shared her experience, her career path, and the work behind a result of the highest international level.

During the interview, Barceló conveyed a message to the sailing school students and the racing team focused on values such as effort, perseverance, commitment, humility, and the ability to keep learning, even in the most demanding moments of competition. The conversation gave the youngest sailors the opportunity to understand first-hand what it means to compete at the highest level and how a sporting career is built from the grassroots.

For Club Nàutic S’Arenal, the welcome given to Paula Barceló also carried strong symbolic meaning. The sailor represents the link between the school, the club’s youth development programme, and high-level competition; an example for the new generations who are beginning to sail today at the same club that has nurtured great athletes and regularly hosts top-level competitions.

The event concluded with the recognition and affection of all those present, on a morning that once again highlighted CNA’s strong sporting and human roots, as well as its role in training sailors and transmitting the values of sailing.