28-year gold medal wait affected 4x400m team – Black

Roger Black claims that the 28-year wait was “special” when the men’s 4x400m relay team from Great Britain finally received their gold medals from the 1997 World Athletics Championships.

At the Athens competition, Mark Hylton, Mark Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, and Mark Richardson finished second behind the USA.

The American teammate Antonio Pettigrew allegedly did something illegal, and the British line-up were later declared world champions.

According to Black, who also won gold in the 4x400m relay at the 1991 World Championships, “It was definitely a moment that was taken away from us and it definitely affected us.”

At Saturday’s Diamond League meeting in a sold-out London Stadium, Englishmen Black, Richardson, and Hylton, as well as Welsh duo Thomas and Baulch, were sadly presented with their gold medals.

It has been lingering over us for a very, very long time. Since 28 years is a long time, it was truly completed yesterday. It was fantastic, Black remarked.

“We were there with our families and our kids, who obviously weren’t born then,” said one participant, “in some ways, it was more special.”

You don’t get to share a baby with your families, as I do, and I don’t think Jamie did, but we did, and we did.

“A lot of them back then supported us, and more importantly, we shared it with 60, 000 British fans there.”

We loved it, and I believe that putting that all together made it a surprisingly emotional moment. It was truly unique.

We’re proud to be able to give these athletes their moment in front of a home crowd, said Cherry Alexander, UK Athletics’ strategic lead for major events.