He had his first track running season in 2009, setting a 10,000 meters personal best at the Belgian Championships with a time of 29:47.60 minutes for second place. He gained selection in that event for the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships, but again failed to finish on the international stage. Returning to the cross country running circuit, he had his first successes: he won the Lotto Cross Cup race in Mol and went on to claim the bronze medal in the under-23 race at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships.