Buckland's international career began in 1998 after joining the IAAF High Performance Training Centre in Dakar, Senegal.

Under coach Dr Herve Stephan, he has progressed to be ready in participating in many international world class track and field meetings.

He ran a season best and personal best of 10.22 at the Meeting of La Roche Sur Yon in France which at that time was also a national record for Mauritius and eventually achieved the qualifying standards to enter the 100m event at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Sevilla, Spain.

Other performances include two silver medals at the African Athletics Championships, taking second places in the 100m in 10.20 and the 4 × 100 m relay.

At the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, Canada, Stephan Buckland reached the final for the first time finishing sixth in 20.24.

He also reached the semifinal of the 4 × 100 m relay with Eric Milazar, Fernando Augustin, and Arnaud Casquette by setting a new national record of 38.99 seconds.

Together with Eric Milazar, who finished fourth in the 400m at the World Championships, they were congratulated by the Prime Minister and treated with a parade in Port Louis.

He ended his season by running his first 300m race at the Apres Midi Des Stars Meeting Reduit, taking second place and beaten by compatriot Eric Milazar.

This injury also disabled him from competing at the African Athletics Championships in Tunisia where compatriot Eric Milazar won the 400m.

After his return from the World Championships, Buckland participated at the Indian Ocean Island Games where he won three gold medals in the 100m (10.60), the 200m (20.64) and 4 × 100 m relay (39.23).

Buckland's international career started in 1999 where he participated in the 1999 World Championships in Athletics held in Sevilla, Spain.

After winning numerous international meetings in 2000, he went on to represent Mauritius at the Sydney Olympic Games where he finished fifth in his semifinal race in 20.56.

In 2003, Buckland established a new national record in the 200m with a time of 20.06 in the quarterfinal race at the 2003 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Paris, France.