Continuing his junior career, he won the USATF Junior Championships in 1990, setting a still standing meet record of 8.17 metres which qualified him for the International team. He was also Junior National Champion at 200 meters. In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, he won the 1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics, setting a personal record of 8.20 metres (which is currently tied for #152 on the world all-time list) in the qualifying round. He also won a Bronze medal in the 200 metres in that same competition. In 1991, as a 20-year-old, he placed second behind Mike Powell in the United States Olympic Festival, Powell would claim the World Record in the Long Jump two years later, a record he still holds.