A 12-year-old schoolboy from Uralsk, Alikhan Nysanbayev, entered the top five at an international drone racing competition held in the United States, honorably defending the country's honor. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
A student of School-Lyceum No. 28 in Uralsk and the regional children's technical creativity center, 12-year-old Alikhan Nysanbayev has been representing Kazakhstan at the international level in drone sports.
As part of the Kazakhstan national team, he participated in international drone competitions held in Long Beach (USA), China, Saudi Arabia, and Serbia. This time, the young athlete competed in Dallas, USA.
Alikhan's achievements were recounted to a Sputnik Kazakhstan correspondent by his father, Baktybek Nysanbayev. Alikhan has been attending an aviation club and practicing drone sports for three to four years.
His first coach at the regional children's technical creativity center in Uralsk was Aibek Mirgaliyev.
Two years ago, Alikhan first took part in an international championship held in Saudi Arabia. Although he did not become a winner then, he became acquainted with the atmosphere of world-class competition, and his interest in drone sports grew even stronger.
"When he went to Dallas, he again competed with the leaders who had previously won. The competition featured drones from various companies. One had a light and fast drone, another had a powerful motor. Alikhan competed with such strong rivals," said Baktybek Nysanbayev.
Most of the top drone pilots from technologically advanced countries such as Japan, South Korea, and China were adult athletes. The fact that 12-year-old Alikhan was able to compete among them demonstrated that Kazakhstan has potential in this sport as well.
"Alikhan assembles the drone himself from special parts and flies it himself. According to the competition rules, participants must guide their drones through obstacles and reach the finish line as quickly as possible. China is at the forefront in drone sports. Since this year, he began assembling the drone himself," said his father.
Alikhan's first coach is Aibek Mirgaliyev. The young athlete also has a Kazakh sponsor-manager who supports his participation in international competitions, and a Belarusian citizen who helps him hone his skills.