He was a promising junior cross country runner, winning the junior men's race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1993. The following year proved to be his breakthrough season, as he repeated his cross country success at the 1994 edition, won the 1500 metres at the African Junior Athletics Championships, and took a bronze medal in the same event at the 1994 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Lisbon. He also finished fifth in the 5000 metres race at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.