Cohan
van Dijk
Netherlands
·
Kitesurfing
Date of birth | 26 April 2002 |
|---|---|
Age | 23 |
Nationality | Netherlands |
Disciplines | Kitesurfing Freestyle / Kitesurfing Big Air |
Growing up in Schagen, van Dijk was drawn to wind and water from an early age after watching his father - who was an active windsurfer and kiter - curiously from the beach. As soon as he collected his swimming certificates, his own kite adventure began.
A promising talent in his younger days, winning the Dutch freestyle competitions in 2017 and 2018 and becoming Dutch wakeboarding champion, van Dijk soon made the switch to Big Air. Following three years of intensive training, he finally broke through, winning a wildcard for Red Bull King of the Air 2022. There, he progressed to the semi-finals, where he was only eliminated by the eventual winner.
Having had his first taste of the big time a few years earlier in 2019, when he appeared at the Red Bull Megaloop in the Netherlands as a young rider, he was motivated to go all out on Big Air. Since then, he has become one of the sport's top athletes, picking up two third-place finishes in 2023 and 2025 at the same Megaloop.
Known for his aggressive style, great heights and technical precision, his heats are characterised by commitment, hard contraloops and flowing combinations.
"Big Air is high, extreme and fast," says van Dijk. "The idea is to jump as high as possible while doing as many tricks as possible. Board-offs, rotations, loops - and nowadays even double loops. That feeling of power and speed is pure adrenaline."
When the wind dies down, van Dijk remains active. In summer, he often goes wakeboarding; while in winter, he trains in the gym several times a week. He also travels around the world to train in spots like Cape Town and Tarifa, to further hone his skills.