William Wuycke (born May 21, 1958) is a former Venezuelan 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 American 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 in Los Angeles, California. 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. 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 (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 Venezuela in the 1980 Summer Olympics. On July 25, 1980, Wuyke ran 1:47:38 in the third semi-final heat of the 800 metres. In 1980, University of Alabama coach Bear Bryant offered Wuyke an athletic scholarship. Bryant wanted to use Wuyke's speed