Black rose to prominence in 1985 when he won the European Junior Championships 400m in a time of 45.43 at the age of 19.
In 1986, Black graduated to the senior ranks and made a spectacular impact first winning at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 45.57, and then at the European Championships in Stuttgart, winning in a time of 44.59, his first British Record, breaking Derek Redmond's 44.82 record from the previous year.