Olympic 400 m Silver Medalist Roger Black reveals Open Heart Surgery | Athletics

Roger Black, who won Olympic Silver in 400m for Britain, has revealed he had open heart surgery last month. The 58-year-old said the procedure was to treat a heart disease he has known since he was 11 years old.

“Three weeks ago I had open heart surgery to replace my aortic valve and repair my aorta -root,” Black wrote on Instagram. “My ‘incompetent’ Bicuspid Aorta Valve was discovered when I was 11 years old, and for the past 47 years I have been looked after by the heart team at Southampton General Hospital.

“At my annual control last summer, it was clear that things had worsened despite having no obvious symptoms. It was a shock, but deep down I knew that this day would come, even though I never let my heart disease define me and prevent me from pursuing my athletic career. “

Despite living with the heart problem, Black had a tremendously successful athletics career that came in second place in the men’s 400 meters at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 behind US superstar Michael Johnson. He also won gold for Britain in 4x400m relays at the World Cup in Tokyo 1991 and Athens 1997.

Black praised the hospital staff who treated him before he also paid tribute to his wife. “Most of all thanks to my wife Jules, there was there when I woke up in intensive care 11 hours after surgery and have cared for me every day in recovery,” he wrote. “Every day was about small steps – yesterday was a big milestone when we went to the top of St. Martha’s Hill … our special place. ”