ASTAKHOVA Nataliia
"Victory is my only goal"
known as
Natáhovaa
team / club
major achievements
- 5 place overall in the FAI World Cup Serbia 2023
- 5 place overall - FAI World Cup Spain 2023
- Vice-champion at the first international women's cup in Turkey, WWDC-2022
- Member of DCL Team Championships 2022, 2023, 2024
Bio
A chance encounter gave Astakhova the opportunity to discover the world of drone racing: colleagues at a new job back in 2016 showed her a video of pilots flying FPV drones through a forest on a simulator. She gave it a try and became hooked, especially by the concept of becoming Serbia's first female drone racing pilot.
For several years, this dynamic young pilot organised races in her home town, and has always been excited by the thrill of competition. She says, "What I like most about drone racing is the combination of the most modern, narrowly focused technical field with the opportunity to fly and the adrenaline of racing competition."
An advocate for female participation in the sport, Astakhova enjoys the community of female drone racers on the competition scene, making the most of meeting other girls who are passionate about the sport from all over the world.
Other activities
Astakhova has been professionally involved in drone activity for the past seven years, including industrial drones, and has authored a book for beginners in the field of drones, entitled, “Drones and their piloting. How to start”, published in 2020. Aside from FPV racing, Astakhova also finds time to enjoy outdoors activities: she is a rock climber and snowboarder.
THE World Games 2025
What are your goals for this competition?
"Victory is my only goal."
What is your training schedule for the event?
"I'm in training almost every day. I fly in the simulator and in real life with other pilots. I participate in simulator competitions and travel to IRL competitions in other countries to improve my mental strength."
How are you feeling about competing at The World Games this year?
"The essence of every competition, in my opinion, is not so much to overcome anothers, but to overcome yourself."
