He won his first gold medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade, running the 800 in 1:46.04, which at the time was his personal best. From this point he gained form for next year's Olympic Games. However, Shojaei did not qualify past the first round in the 800-m race at the 2008 Summer Olympics, running a slightly slower (in comparison to his blistering Universiade victory) 1:49.25.