Smaïl enjoyed U23 success in 2009 as he won the 5000 m silver medal at the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships and took the individual and team gold in the U23 race at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships. He also made progress in the senior ranks, reaching the 5000 m final at the 2009 European Team Championships and competing in his first major European senior championships: the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships.