Born in Dover in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, he did not compete at a high level in his youth but rose to prominence at senior level at the age of twenty-one. He won his first 200 metres title at the Jamaican Athletics Championships that year and made his international debut. First came a run at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships, where he narrowly missed qualifying for the 200 m final. He won double gold at the 1987 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics in the 200 m and 4×100 metres relay. The 1987 Pan American Games followed and he placed fifth in the 200 m before taking a relay bronze medal as part of a quartet with Ray Stewart, Andrew Smith and John Mair. The team regrouped for the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, with Wright running the bend, and won another bronze medal – the first time that Jamaican men won a relay medal at the competition. Wright also ran individually for Jamaica and ran in the semi-finals to a career best of 20.50 seconds.