Born in Obrenovac in Belgrade and affiliated with the city's athletic club, AK Partizan, he made his first appearance on the world stage representing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Forming part of the 4×400 metres relay team at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, he ran a national Yugoslavian record time of 3:03.30 minutes with Branislav Karaulić, Slobodan Popović and Ismail Mačev. At the age of twenty, he ran in the 400 metres heats at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and improved the national relay record to 3:01.59 minutes in the semi-finals of the relay event.