Roger Black, who won Olympic silver in the 400m for Great Britain, has revealed he had open heart surgery last month. The 58-year-old said the procedure was to treat a heart condition he has known about since he was 11 years old.
“Three weeks ago I had open heart surgery to replace my aortic valve and repair my aortic root,” Black wrote on Instagram. “My ‘incompetent’ bicuspid aortic valve was discovered when I was 11 years old and for the last 47 years I have been looked after by the cardiac team at Southampton General Hospital.
“At my annual check up last summer it was clear that things had deteriorated despite me having no obvious symptoms. It was a shock but deep down I knew this day would come even though I never allowed my heart disease to define me and prevent me from pursuing my athletic career.”
Despite the heart problem, Black had a hugely successful athletics career, coming second in the men’s 400m at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 behind the USA superstar Michael Johnson. He also won gold for Great Britain in the 4x400m relays at the world championships at Tokyo 1991 and Athens 1997.
Black praised the hospital staff who treated him before also paying tribute to his wife. “Most of all thank you to my wife Jules who was there when I woke up in intensive care 11 hours after surgery and has cared for me every day in recovery,” he wrote. “Each day has been about small steps - yesterday was a big milestone as we walked to the top of St Martha’s Hill... Our special place.”
