His first international competition was the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships, where he was a 200 metres semi-finalist and a gold medallist with the German 4×100 metres relay team. He established himself on the national scene in 2006 with German junior titles over 60 metres and 200 m indoors, then an outdoor 100 metres national junior title. That year he also competed at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics and was a semi-finalist in the 100 m and a relay finalist.