Education
Because of his repeated successes in the championships, Croes eventually made his international debut in triathlon for the International Telecommunication Union World Cup in Madrid, where he finished fifth.
Because of his repeated successes in the championships, Croes eventually made his international debut in triathlon for the International Telecommunication Union World Cup in Madrid, where he finished fifth.
He is a double titleholder at the European Junior Triathlon Championships, and is also currently ranked northern 73 in the world by the International Triathlon Union. Born in Bonheiden, Croes started out his sporting career as a football player in his early childhood, until he discovered triathlon at age twelve in a local school.
From then on, he began competing in various local and national triathlon championships at the peak of his career.
His first major success happened when he came third at the 2001 European Junior Triathlon Championships in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakian Republic, followed by his winning triumphs at the same event twice, in 2002 and in 2003. Croes was also selected for the national team, together with his teammate Axel Zeebroek, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
According to the International Triathlon Union, he was ranked northern 52 on the list of Olympic qualifiers, which guaranteed him a place for the Olympics, because of his fifth-place finish at the International Telecommunication Union World Cup in New Plymouth, New Zealand.
In the men"s triathlon, he finished only in twenty-seventh place with a time of 1:51:40.
Triathlon
2001: 03 ! European Commission Juniors in Karlsbad
2002: 01 ! European Commission Juniors in Győr
2003: 01 ! European Commission Juniors in Karlovy Vary
2003: 5th WC Juniors in Queenstown
2004: 5th International Telecommunication Union World Cup in Madrid
2005: 17th WC Olympic distance in Gamagori - 1:51.16
2006: 03 ! European Cup in San Remo
2006: 6th International Telecommunication Union World Cup in Corner Brook
2006: 19th European Commission Olympic distance in Autun - 2:00.52
2006: 63rd WC Olympic distance in Lausanne - 2:02.02
2007: 31st European Commission Olympic distance in Kopenhagen - 1:54.41
2008: 5th International Telecommunication Union World Cup in New Plymouth
2008: 16th European Commission Olympic distance in Lisbon - 1:55.45
2008: 27th Olympic Games in Beijing - 1:51.40.94
2009: 12th European Commission Olympic distance in Holten - 1:45.35
2009: 19th International Telecommunication Union World Cup in Madrid - 1:54.44
2009: 20th International Telecommunication Union World Cup in Washington District of Columbia - 1:52.27
2010: 5th International Telecommunication Union Triathlon World Cup Huatulco - 01:50:22
2010: 14th International Telecommunication Union Elite Sprint Triathlon World Championships Lausanne - 0:53:59
2010: 6th International Telecommunication Union Triathlon Premium European Cup Brasschaat - 1:45:13
2011: 8th International Telecommunication Union Triathlon Pan American Cup Ixtapa - 1:57:55
2011: 9th Cremona International Telecommunication Union Sprint Triathlon European Cup Cremona - 0:55:54
Duathlon
2003: 01 ! WC Juniors in Affoltern
2004: 4th WC under-23 in Geel.