Marcus Cooper (canoeist)
Marcus Cooper Walz is a sprint canoeist. Born in England, he has competed internationally for Spain since the early 2010s. He won the gold medal in the Canoeing at the [2016 Summer Olympics – Men's K-1 1000 metres|K-1 1000 metres event] at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He won the silver medal in the Canoeing at the [2020 Summer Olympics – Men's K-4 500 metres|Men's K-4 500 metres event] at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with Saúl Craviotto, Carlos Arévalo and Rodrigo Germade.
Born in Oxford to English parents, the family established in Mallorca when Cooper was 3 months old. Walz became a Spanish national in 2015.
On 26 June 2024, the Spanish Olympic Committee selected Cooper, together with the Olympic boat driver Támara Echegoyen, as the flag bearers for París 2024.
Cooper competed as Marcus Walz until 2022.