 His first international outdoor competition followed later that year and he ran in the heats of the 5000 metres at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville.In 2000 he came 61st at the 2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and made his Olympic debut with a performance in the heats of the 10,000 metres at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.He began to improve from the 2002 season onwards