Dutch high diver Ginni van Katwijk has been voted 2025 European Aquatics Women’s High Diver of the Year, following a season of consistent performances across the sport’s major international competitions.
Ginni van Katwijk, who made her international debut in 2021 after honing her skills as a performer with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, topped the public vote with 34.75%, earning the accolade in the European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards.
Now 40, the Rotterdam native delivered a standout season marked by composure and consistency at the highest level. Her strongest result came at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, where she finished sixth overall, the best placement among European women in one of the deepest fields in recent memory.
That performance was complemented by another sixth-place finish at the World Aquatics High Diving World Cup stop at Porto Flavia, where van Katwijk moved up the standings through the later rounds to again feature prominently among the world’s leading high divers.
Across the season, she also remained a regular presence in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, competing steadily as the level of technical difficulty and competitive depth continued to increase.
Switzerland’s Morgane Herculano finished second in the voting with 25.28%, following a breakthrough year that included a 12th-place finish at the World Aquatics Championships and a fifth-place result at Porto Flavia, where she emerged as the highest-placed European athlete. She also delivered a series of competitive performances across the Red Bull circuit.
Germany’s Iris Schmidbauer placed third with 20.35% of the vote. Her 15th-place finish in Singapore, alongside solid outings in the Red Bull series, reflected the growing depth and competitiveness of European women’s high diving.
Italy’s Elisa Cosetti finished fourth with 12.88%, highlighted by an eighth-place finish at the World Aquatics Championships, secured with a strong final dive, and continued consistency across the season’s elite competitions.
Rounding out the shortlist was France’s Madeleine Bayon, who earned 6.67% of the vote. Bayon placed 14th at the World Aquatics Championships and made history by becoming the first French woman to compete in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Together, the shortlist reflects a season that underscored the continued rise of women’s high diving in Europe, with van Katwijk’s recognition serving as a fitting acknowledgement of a year defined by depth, progression, and sustained excellence at the international level.