Men’s Athletics
Gold	1984	800 m
Silver	1988	800 m

Joaquim Carvalho Cruz (born March 12, 1963) is a former Brazilian athlete, winner of the 800 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Subject: The Olympic Rings. ... Athletics, also known, especially in American English, as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events, which can roughly be divided into running, throwing, and jumping. ... Athletics Medal Winners at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Mens medal winners Women’s Medal Winners External links Zola Budd Categories: ‪1984 Summer Olympics events‬ | ‪Athletics at the Olympics‬ ... Athletics Medal Winners at the 1988 Seoul Olympics Ben Johnson led the 100m race at 9. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Athletics, also known, especially in American English, as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events, which can roughly be divided into running, throwing, and jumping. ... The Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in 1984 in Los Angeles, California, United States. ...

Cruz was born in Taguatinga, near Brasília, as the son of a steel worker. He began running as 13-year-old, and soon showed talent. After setting a junior world record in 1981, he received a scholarship for the University of Oregon in 1983. The move immediately paid off, and Cruz won the NCAA championships over 800 m that same year. He also competed in the inaugural World Championships, winning the bronze. Brasília from space, November 1990 Niemeyers Cathedral Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. ... A world record is the best performance in a certain discipline, usually a sports event. ... University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO) is a public university located in Eugene. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14. ...

The following year, the Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles, and Cruz was considered to be one of the favourites, along with world record holder Sebastian Coe of Britain. In the final turn, Cruz start a sprint from third place and took the lead, never losing it. He crossed the line in 1:43.00, a new Olympic Record, making him the first, and as of 2004 only, Brazilian to become Olympic champion in a track and field event. This article is about the largest city in California. ... A world record is the best performance in a certain discipline, usually a sports event. ... Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, OBE (born September 29, 1956) is a British athlete, and Conservative Party politician. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Due to a cold, Cruz did not start in the semi-finals of the Olympic 1500 m, which caused quite a stir among the Brazilians, who thought he didn't want to represent his country in an event in which his chances of winning were smaller.

A few weeks after the Olympic Games, Cruz ran a new Brazilian 800m record at a meeting in Cologne. His time of 1:41.77 was only 4/100 of a second outside the world record. At the end of 2005 he was still the third fastest athlete in the history of the event. Also in 1984 he ran a time of 2:14.09 min over 1000m in Nice which is still the current South American record over that distance. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Four years later, at the 1988 Summer Olympics, Cruz appeared to be on his way to retain his Olympic 800 m title when he was passed by Kenyan runner Paul Ereng, leaving Cruz with the silver medal. Troubled by Achilles' tendon injuries, Cruz was never again able to reach the international top level. In 1993, he tried to make a comeback and started over 1500m at various Grand Prix races in Europe but failed to make a major impact. The Games of the XXIV Olympiad were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ... Paul Ereng (born August 22, 1967) is a former Kenyan athlete, surprise winner of 800 m at the 1988 Summer Olympics. ... Posterior view of the foot and leg, showing the Achilles tendon (tendo calcaneus). ...