The following season brought major success in the form of the gold medal at the 1996 European Athletics Indoor Championships, which he won in a time of 21.04 seconds. He had a personal best time of 20.68 at the Meeting Pas de Calais – that time ranked him in the top ten globally that season. He remained in good form in the outdoor season, setting two personal bests with wins in Tallinn, running 10.23 for the 100 metres and 20.42 seconds for the 200 m. His first outdoor medal came shortly after at the European Cup 2nd League, where he was the 100 m champion. An Olympic debut came at the 1996 Atlanta Games and he reached the quarter-finals in both the 100 m and 200 m while representing Belgium.