It was in 1985 that he began working with Jean-Pierre Egger – a coach and two-time shot put Olympian for Switzerland. He became part of a training group with Werner Günthör, another Swiss shot putter. This marked the beginning of Bodenmüller, in his mid-twenties, competing at the elite level of the sport. The group began to produce results the following year. He won his first national title at the Austrian Indoor Championships at the start of the year. Both Bodenmüller and Günthör competed at the 1986 European Athletics Championships. The Austrian produced a personal best throw of to place 14th in the qualifying round on his international debut, while his Swiss partner went on to claim the gold medal.