He emerged in the senior ranks in 2007, finishing in 65th place at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and running a 3000 metres best time of 7:59.59. He began moving into longer distance events in 2008 and, after placing 50th over at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, he won the half marathon event at the Gold Coast Marathon in July, recording a time of 1:02:41. He earned selection for the 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and he was the region's best performer with a sixteenth-place finish. At the end of the year he competed in the 10,000 metres at the Zatopek Classic in Melbourne and finished in third place with a time of 28:08.96.