On the retirement of Leobaldo Pereira at the end of the 2001 season, Balceiro was selected as the new partner for Ibrahim Rojas in Cuba's two-man (C-2) canoe. The two men had occasionally raced together as teenagers and struck up an immediate understanding on and off the water. In 2002 they became double world champions (C-2 200 m and C-2 500 m) in Seville, Spain. They also took the silver medal in the C-2 1000 m final. The pair were voted Cuban Athletes of the Year in recognition of their achievement.