Olympian Roger Black: “Preparing for open heart surgery is nothing like preparing for a race”

When you think of Olympic athletes, you picture strength, resilience, and peak physical health.

But heart disease does not discriminate, even against those who have stood on the podium.  

Roger Black, who won the Olympic 400m silver medal in Atlanta in 1996, underwent open heart surgery earlier this year after a routine check-up for his lifelong heart condition.

Roger's story is a reminder that heart surgery can be daunting no matter who you are.

Bicuspid aortic valve diagnosis

Roger’s heart disease journey began at 11 years old. “I was just a kid who loved sport,” he recalls.

“I was the fastest in school, playing football and rugby. I felt absolutely fine."

But during a routine school health check, a nurse heard something unusual in his heartbeat.

That led to a referral to Southampton General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve. 

This is a congenital heart condition, which is a heart problem that you are born with. Congenital heart disease affects 1 to 2 per cent of people in the UK.

A bicuspid aortic valve is a heart valve with only 2 leaflets (or cusps) instead of the usual 3.

This can lead to the valve becoming narrowed or leaky over time, and often requires ongoing monitoring or treatment.

Roger remembers being told he had to stop doing any competitive sport for the foreseeable future.

But his doctors eventually cleared him to return to playing sport as long as he had regular check-ups.

For the next 47 years, Roger attended the hospital once a year.

Living with heart valve disease 

Despite his diagnosis, Roger’s athletic career flourished. He became a European champion and won a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics for the 400m. 

But all the while, his heart was being monitored by specialists.

In September 2024, during what was supposed to be a routine check-up, Roger’s world shifted.

“They did the echocardiogram, and it took longer than usual. Then 2 doctors sat me down and said: ‘Things have changed’. 

"The next day, my consultant called and said, ‘the day has come, we need to get you into surgery’.

Even though my underlying heart problem was ever-present, this was a complete shock,” Roger recalls. 

"The next day, my consultant called and said, ‘the day has come, we need to get you into surgery’."

His aortic valve had deteriorated significantly. More urgently, his aorta, which is the main blood vessel carrying blood from the heart to the body, had become dangerously enlarged.

This condition, known as an aortic aneurysm, can be life-threatening if the blood vessel bursts.

“It was a ticking time bomb,” Roger says.

“I had thought this day would come in my 70s. It came when I was 58.” 

No training for heart surgery  

Despite his athletic background, Roger was not immune to fear. “I was scared,” he admits.

“It’s hard to know how to plan for it physically – it's not like preparing for a race that you know how far it will be and how fast you need to run. It’s about surrendering control and that’s hard.” 

He describes the days leading up to the surgery as surreal.

“I kept thinking, ‘This cannot be happening to me.’ I’ve always been the strong one, the fit one. But suddenly, I felt vulnerable.”

Open heart surgery is exactly what it sounds like: the chest is opened, and the heart is operated on directly.

In Roger’s case, surgeons replaced his failing valve and repaired the aorta.

“I handed myself over to my surgeon and focused on what I could control, my recovery,” he says.

“I had to trust the team.”

Heart valve replacement surgery

People undergoing heart valve replacement surgery often face a choice.

You can choose a tissue (biological) valve, which may need replacing after 10 to 20 years, but does not usually require long-term medication.

Or you can have a mechanical valve, which lasts longer, but requires lifelong blood thinning medicine.

Roger chose a tissue valve.

His surgery went well, although he experienced some complications, including atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregular heartbeat which is common after heart surgery.

He later underwent a procedure called a cardioversion that uses electric shocks to restore the heart to a normal rhythm.

“The hospital stay was tough,” he says.

“You cannot move. You’ve got tubes everywhere. But every day, there’s a little win. The doctors and nurses were absolutely fantastic.”

Life after open heart surgery

“For anyone going through this, the best moment is getting home,” Roger says.

“Suddenly, you’re in control again. You can lie in your own bed, eat your own food. And you start walking just a bit further each day.”

He credits his recovery at home to the support of his wife Jules and son George.

"I’m usually the one looking after everyone else. But you have to let go."

He also harnessed the power of movement and mindfulness. 

“Walking is the best medicine. And I did a lot of visualisation, imagining the blood flowing through my new valve. It helped me connect with my body.”

Now, 4 months after the procedure, Roger's back to jogging in his local woods again.

“It’s part of me now. It does not define me. But it’s changed me. And I'm grateful.”

One of the most worrying aspects of heart valve disease is how subtle the symptoms can be.

Fatigue, breathlessness or feeling ‘a bit off’ can be dismissed as signs of ageing or stress, rather than signs the valve is not working properly.

Roger’s wife, Jules, had noticed he was more tired and breathless, but he brushed it off.

“I thought I was just getting older,” he says. 

But having once shied away from talking about his heart condition, Roger now often speaks about the surgery he's had to fix it.

“It’s part of me now. It does not define me. But it’s changed me. And I'm grateful.” 

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