He was born in Saint Petersburg and represents the club Dinamo Saint Petersburg. He finished seventh at the 1998 World Junior Championships. The time he achieved, 1:48.91 minutes, was a personal best. He progressed further to 1:46.61 minutes (July 1999, Tula) and 1:45.76 minutes (July 2000, Tula). He competed at the 2000 European Indoor Championships and the 2000 Olympic Games in both 800 metres and 4 x 400 metres relay without reaching the final. At the 2001 European U23 Championships he won a bronze medal in the relay. He finished fourth at the 2002 European Indoor Championships in a time of 1:45.84 minutes, which would remain his indoor personal best for many years. In July 2002 he set his lifetime best in the 400 metres, 46.50 seconds achieved in Moscow.