William Wuycke (born May 21, 1958) is a former

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n 800m runner, who set a personal best of 1:43.54 minutes at a 1986 meeting in Rieti (the race was won by Steve Cram). This result made Wuycke (as of 2021) the third-fastest

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

n 800m runner of all time. He finished fourth in the 800 metres at the 1987 Pan American Games. He carried the flag for his native country at the opening ceremony at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Early life

The son of Carmelo and Rosa Wuycke, William Wuycke grew up in Parroquia La Pastora, Caracas. He attended the Madariaga primary school and Agustín Aveledo secondary school. Wuyke then studied physical education at Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador (UPEL) in Caracas, followed by philosophy at Colegio Universitario de Caracas (CUC), before matriculating at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

. Health problems plagued Wuyke throughout his childhood. He suffered from respiratory difficulties, minor heart problems, and spina bifida. In a short video documentary, Wuyke recollected, "It was not an easy life as a kid. I was pretty sick. I was walking straight with a corset... I couldn't train, I couldn't swim. Going to doctors and doctors and doctors...Seeing all my friends playing and I couldn't even play." Wuyke eventually found his way to the YMCA basketball court in La Pastora, where he encountered Venezuelan decathlete Luis Mijares, who asked him to come to Olympic Stadium at

Central University of Venezuela The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in ...

(UCV). There, William Wuyke defeated Mijares in a 50 meter race, leading him to begin regular training at the stadium. It was here that he eventually met his longtime coach, Elavit Asmadt. Coach Asmdat was responsible for the development of many famous Venezuelan track and field athletes across multiple disciplines, including both short and long distance runners.

Athletics career

The Venezuelan Athletics Federation selected Wuyke to compete in the 1976 Central American and Caribbean Games in Xalapa, Mexico, where he won his first international gold medal. On April 20, 1980 Wuyke ran 1:47.00 for 800 meters, the fastest performance for a high school athlete in the world at the time. He competed at the 800 meter distance for

in the 1980 Summer Olympics. On July 25, 1980, Wuyke ran 1:47:38 in the third semi-final heat of the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since t ...

. In 1980,

coach Bear Bryant offered Wuyke an athletic scholarship. Bryant wanted to use Wuyke's speed on the football field. Wuyke eventually joined the track team instead. On June 2, 1983, Wuyke and his Alabama teammates ran 3:03.90 in the

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, th ...

, the 10th fastest time in school history as of October 2021. Wuyke won the 1,000 meter run at the

1984 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships The 1984 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested March 9−10, 1984 at the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate i ...

with a time of 2:24.27. Wuyke also competed in the

for Venezuela. He failed to advance to the 800 meter final, ending up 7th in the first semi-final heat with a time of 1:47.32. As of October 2021, Wuyke remains Alabama's outdoor 800 meter record holder having run 1:43.93 in Zurich, Switzerland on August 13, 1985. Wuyke continued competing after graduating from the University of Alabama. On September 7, 1986 in Rieti, Italy, he ran a personal best 1:43.54 in the 800 meter run. This was the third fastest time in the world in 1986, just 35 hundredths of a second behind world leader Steve Cram, who set his 1:43.19 mark in the same race as Wuyke. As of October 2021, Wuyke's mark is still the Venezuelan national record. Wuyke's last major international appearance was in Lausanne, Switzerland at the Stade olympique de la Pontaise, where he ran 1:50.34 for the 800 meters on July 12, 1990.

Achievements

Masters athletics

On February 14, 1999, William Wuyke set a world masters record for the indoor 800 meter run with a time of 1:54.96, beating the previous record of 1:55.5 set by Ken Popejoy in 1993. On March 28, 1999 William Wuyke won the 800 meter run at the USA National Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships, running 2:01.69.

Coaching and teaching career

William Wuyke holds both a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

and

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

from the

in health, physical education and recreation. As of October 2021, Wuyke serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Physical Education, Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Director of the

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

Fitness Center. He has coached at the National Sports Institute in Caracas and as a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama. Wuyke was the youth sports coordinator at the Memphis Jewish Community Center. He joined the faculty of Connecticut College in 1992, serving as head coach of the track and field team through 2006. Wuyke has trained multiple varsity teams at Connecticut College. He has also taught various fitness classes and organized informal workout groups for students.

Recognition

Wuyke served as Venezuela's representative for the

World Olympians Association The World Olympians Association (WOA) is an independent association of Olympic Games competitors. Its stated objectives are to promote the Olympic ideals and fair play, advance environmental protection, educate against doping and drug use, supply ...

at the 2008 Summer Olympics in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. On September 30, 2009, the Venezuelan Athletics Federation announced Wuyke would be inducted into its hall of fame. He was formally honored in ceremonies on October 9-10, 2009 in Caracas, Venezuela. William Wuyke has also been recognized for his work in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

, helping area youth with both fitness and literacy. On January 29, 2010, he was honored with Connecticut College's Martin Luther King Service Award.

References

Lista Anno - Liste mondiali stagionali maschili
1958 births Living people Venezuelan male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Venezuela Athletes (track and field) at the 1983 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for Venezuela Competitors at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Venezuela World Athletics Championships athletes for Venezuela Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics {{Venezuela-athletics-bio-stub