The 2009 season proved to be a breakthrough at national level as he took third in the 60 metres hurdles at the UK Indoor Championships. He followed this with second-place finishes outdoors at the England U23 Championships and the UK World Trials/National Championships. At the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships he won the bronze medal behind Artur Noga and compatriot Gianni Frankis, running a personal best time of 13.63 seconds. A win at the McCain UK Challenge Final in Cardiff meant he earned a share of the £5000 jackpot as he won his race and topped the event rankings in the national competition. He gained lottery funding at the end of the year as part of the 2012 London Olympics development programme.