As a junior, he finished sixth at the 2002 World Junior Championships. The following year he took the 200 m title at the 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships, as well as winning a silver medal in the relay. He made his senior international debut the following year at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships, where he narrowly missed a spot in the 200 m finals. An Olympic debut came later that season for the nineteen-year-old and, after running a personal best of 20.36 seconds in the heats, he was eliminated in the semi-finals as the fastest non-qualifier.