 In 1999 he started his technical collaboration with the Italian Coach Renato Canova, that changed his event, looking at longer distances.He made his debut at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2002 and became the surprise world champion for the event.Later that year he became the African champion on the track in the 10,000 metres and also won silver medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and 2002 IAAF World Cup.