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South Korean first-person-view (FPV) drone pilot Choi Won-kyun won the World Drone Championship on Saturday after a three-day competition at the Teknofest Southeast World Drone Cup in Sanliurfa, a province in southeastern Türkiye near the Syrian border.
Choi finished ahead of compatriot Kim Min-jae, who took second place. Bulgaria's Dimo Shterev placed third.
"I'm really happy to win this competition," Choi said after the final, thanking his coach and uncle for helping him prepare. He said preparing for the competition had been difficult but added that he would return to defend his title.
Kim said he had chances to finish first during the opening rounds but missed them. "It's obviously totally my fault, and I'm just really disappointed in myself," he said, adding that he would return stronger next time. Kim also thanked his parents and sponsors for supporting his participation.
Shterev described his third-place finish as "amazing" and "a bit unexpected" after what he called a disappointing qualifying performance. "I pushed through the finals.
I keep increasing my pace, I keep believing in myself, and I keep working on my consistency," he said. Shterev also thanked his parents, sponsors and his team, ROC Special in China, for helping him prepare for the race.
A total of 32 drone pilots from around the world competed in the championship, which began Oct. 1. They flew high-speed FPV drones they designed and assembled themselves. The pilots tested their speed, reflexes and control skills on a course that featured moving gates this year.
Teknofest, an aviation, space and technology festival, opened to visitors on Wednesday in Türkiye’s Sanliurfa.
Teknofest Southeast, a leg of the festival held in the southeastern part of the country, brings together tech enthusiasts, young investors and thousands of visitors for shows, exhibitions and the finals of tech competitions in 14 categories through Oct. 4.
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