Born in San Basilio in Río Cuarto Department, he rose on to the regional scene in the early 1950s. He was a 5000 metres bronze medallist at the 1952 South American Championships in Athletics, taking the minor medals in Buenos Aires alongside compatriot Reinaldo Gorno (an Olympic medallist that year). A 1500 m silver medal followed at the 1953 South American Championships in Athletics, where he ran close to four minutes and finished behind Chile's Guillermo Solá.