Roger Black facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Roger Black
MBE

Black in 2011
Personal information
Born	(1966-03-31) 31 March 1966 (age 59) Gosport, Hampshire, England
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Silver 1996 Atlanta 400 m Silver 1996 Atlanta 4 × 400 m relay Bronze 1992 Barcelona 4 × 400 m relay World Championships Gold 1991 Tokyo 4 × 400 m relay Gold 1997 Athens 4 × 400 m relay Silver 1987 Rome 4 × 400 m relay Silver 1991 Tokyo 400 m European Championships Gold 1986 Stuttgart 400 m Gold 1986 Stuttgart 4 × 400 m relay Gold 1990 Split 400 m Gold 1990 Split 4 × 400 m relay Gold 1994 Helsinki 4 × 400 m relay Silver 1994 Helsinki 400 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1986 Edinburgh 400 m Gold 1986 Edinburgh 4 × 400m relay

Roger Anthony Black (born March 31, 1966) is a famous English former athlete. He ran for Great Britain and England in many international races.

Roger Black won many important medals during his career. He earned silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at the Olympic Games and World Championships. He also won gold medals at the European Championships. He was part of teams that won gold in the 4 × 400 metres relay at both World and European Championships.

After he stopped competing, Roger became a television presenter. He also works as a speaker who inspires people. In 2008, he started a company called BackleyBlack LLP with another athlete, Steve Backley. Roger Black has won fifteen medals from major athletics events. He also won two gold medals at the European junior championships.

He won five national championships in the 400 metres race and one in the 200 metres. As of July 2022, Roger Black is still one of the top three fastest British runners ever in the 400 metres.

Early Life and School

Roger Black was born in Gosport, Hampshire, England. His father, David, was a doctor, and his mother was Thelma. He has a twin sister named Julia.

He went to Alverstoke Church of England Primary School. Later, he attended Portsmouth Grammar School, where he was the Head Boy in 1983-1984. Roger first showed how fast he was when playing football with a local team. He scored many goals because he could run so quickly.

After school, he joined athletics clubs. He also started studying medicine at the University of Southampton. However, he left his course after only three months. This was because he was already becoming very successful as an athlete.

Roger Black's Athletics Career

Roger Black became well-known in 1985. He won the 400 metres race at the European Junior Championships. He was only 19 years old at the time.

Winning Gold Medals in 1986

In 1986, Roger started competing against adult athletes. He quickly made a big impression. First, he won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Then, he won at the European Championships in Stuttgart. His time of 44.59 seconds was a new British record. He also won gold medals in the 4 × 400 metres relay at both events. This meant he won four gold medals in 1986.

Returning to the Track in 1990

Roger faced some challenges with illness and injuries for the next three years. He only just made it onto the relay team for the 1987 World Championships. The British team won a silver medal there.

He returned to racing in 1990 and was in great shape. He went to the European Championships in Split. Roger won the 400 metres final again, keeping his title. He also helped the British team win the 4 × 400 metres relay easily. They won by 15 metres and set a new European record. Roger's amazing performance meant he won two gold medals at two championships in a row.

World Championships in 1991

Roger Black had a fantastic year in 1990, and everyone expected great things in 1991. He competed against top runners like Steve Lewis and Antonio Pettigrew. He also raced against Michael Johnson, who later became a legend.

At the World Championships in Tokyo, Roger finished second in the individual 400 metres. He was leading for most of the race but was caught at the very end.

In the final event, the men's 4 × 400 metres relay, Great Britain raced against the United States. The British team decided to have Roger Black run the first part of the race. This was to give the team a good start or keep them close to the lead. Roger ran his part in 44.6 seconds. The British team, with Kriss Akabusi running the last part, won in a thrilling finish. They set a new British and European record time of 2:57.53.

Setting a British Record in 1996

Roger Black set a new British record for the 400 metres on July 3, 1996. He ran it in 44.37 seconds in Lausanne, Switzerland. This record was broken a year later by Iwan Thomas. As of July 2022, Roger's time is still the third fastest ever by a British runner.

Olympic Silver Medal in Atlanta

Roger's biggest individual achievement was at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He won a silver medal in the 400 metres final, finishing second to Michael Johnson.

After this, he struggled with injuries and could not find his best form again. He retired from the sport in 1998. Roger was coached by Mike Smith and Mike Whittingham. He was sponsored by Reebok.

1997 World Championships Gold

At the 1997 World Championships, the USA team originally won the 4 × 400 metres relay. Great Britain finished very close behind them.

Later, it was found that an athlete on the USA team had used banned substances. Because of this, on January 7, 2010, it was announced that Great Britain's 1997 World Championship 4 × 400 metres relay team would be given the gold medal instead.

Roger Black ran the second part of the race for Great Britain. The team's time was 2:56.65.

Awards and Recognition

Roger Black was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 1992. This was for his great contributions to athletics. In 1995, Southampton University gave him an honorary degree.

Television Career

After retiring from athletics, Roger Black started a career in television. In 1998, he appeared on the children's news show Newsround. He reported on childhood obesity with fellow athlete Iwan Thomas.

Roger has worked regularly for the BBC. He appeared on shows like Tomorrow's World and Grandstand. In 2004, he was one of the famous people who took part in Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One. In 2006, he competed in Celebrity MasterChef and reached the final.

In 1999, he was the subject of the TV show This Is Your Life. He was surprised by the host, Michael Aspel, at Heathrow Airport.

Writing a Book

Roger Black has written a book about his life. It is called How Long's the Course? and was published by Andre Deutsch.

Personal Life

Roger Black is married to Julia Burgess. They have twin boys named George and Max, who were born in 2006. Roger also has a daughter named Isabelle from his first marriage to Elsa Devassoigne.

Even though he was born in Gosport, Roger is a fan of Southampton F.C. football club. In 2014, Roger was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter to The Guardian newspaper. The letter was against Scottish independence before the vote that year.

Major Achievements

• 1985
  • European Junior Championships – Cottbus, Germany
    • 400 metres gold medal – 45.36 seconds
    • 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal – 3:07.18
• 1986
  • Commonwealth Games – Edinburgh, Scotland
    • 400 m. gold medal – 45.57 sec.
    • 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal – 3:07.19
  • European Championships – Stuttgart, Germany
    • 400 m. gold medal – 44.59 sec.
    • 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal – 2:59.84
• 1987
  • World Championships – Rome, Italy
    • 4 × 400 m. relay silver medal
• 1990
  • European Championships – Split, Yugoslavia
    • 400 m. gold medal – 45.08 sec.
    • 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal – 2:58.22
• 1991
  • World Championships – Tokyo, Japan
    • 400 m. silver medal – 44.62 sec.
    • 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal – 2:57.53
• 1992
  • Summer Olympics – Barcelona, Spain
    • 4 × 400 m. relay bronze medal – 2:59.73
• 1994
  • European Championships – Helsinki, Finland
    • 400 m. silver medal – 45.2 sec.
    • 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal – 2:59.13
• 1996
  • Summer Olympics – Atlanta, USA
    • 400 m. silver medal – 44.41 sec.
    • 4 × 400 m. relay silver medal – 2:56.60
• 1997
  • World Championships – Athens, Greece
    • 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal – 2:56.65

As of September 2024, Roger Black holds the track record for the men's 400 metres in Frankfurt. On June 29, 1991, when he was 25, he ran 44.91 seconds. He is the only person to run faster than 45 seconds on that track.