Joaquim Carvalho Cruz (born 12 March 1963) is a Brazilian former middle-distance runner, winner of the 800 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

The move immediately paid off, and Cruz won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships over 800 m that same year.

[1][2] The following year at the 1984 NCAA Track and Field Championships, Cruz became one of only a handful of people to win the 800/1500 m double (a feat that would not be repeated until Andrew Wheating achieved it in 2010).

The 1984 Summer Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles, and Cruz was considered to be one of the 800 m favorites, along with world record holder Sebastian Coe of Great Britain.

After recovering from the cold, Cruz had a five-day stretch of racing a few weeks after the Olympic Games in which he set several extremely fast times.

His record was good enough to earn him a World #1 ranking by Track & Field News magazine for the second year in a row.

[6] Cruz was the last torchbearer and lit the flame cauldron at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, on 13 July 2007.