Marcus Cooper Walz (born 3 October 1994) is a

sprint canoeist Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

. Born in England, he has competed internationally for Spain since the early 2010s. He won the gold medal in the K-1 1000 metres event at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. He won the silver medal in the Men's K-4 500 metres event at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

with

Saúl Craviotto Saúl Craviotto Rivero (born 3 November 1984) is a Spanish police officer and sprint kayaker who has been racing since the mid-2000s. He has won six Olympic medals: a gold medal (with Carlos Pérez) in the K-2 500 m event at the 2008 Summer ...

, Carlos Arévalo and Rodrigo Germade. Born in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

to English parents, the family established in

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

when Cooper was 3 months old. Walz became a Spanish national in 2015. On 26 June 2024, the

Spanish Olympic Committee The Spanish Olympic Committee (, COE) is responsible body for Spain's participation in the Olympic Games. Members of the committee are 35 sports federations, which elect the Executive Council composed of the president and 23 members. History ...

selected Cooper, together with the Olympic boat driver Támara Echegoyen, as the flag bearers for París 2024. Cooper competed as Marcus Walz until 2022.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walz, Marcus 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Oxford Spanish male canoeists Olympic canoeists for Spain English male canoeists English emigrants to Spain Spanish people of German descent English people of German descent Naturalised citizens of Spain Naturalised sports competitors Olympic gold medalists for Spain Olympic silver medalists for Spain Olympic bronze medalists for Spain Sportspeople from Mallorca Olympic medalists in canoeing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak Canoeists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Spain Mediterranean Games medalists in canoeing Canoeists at the 2018 Mediterranean Games Canoeists at the 2019 European Games Canoeists at the 2023 European Games European Games gold medalists for Spain European Games medalists in canoeing 21st-century Spanish sportsmen