The final of the 2019 International Drone Competition opens in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, Sept 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2019 International Drone Competition, a warm-up event for the 2019 World Internet of Things Expo took place in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, from Sept 5 to 6. 

Divided into groups of international masters, national professionals and juniors, the event attracted hundreds of top pilots from 13 countries and regions worldwide to reach for high skies.

Son Young-rok from South Korea won the gold in the international masters group by pulling off a perfect set of maneuvers and freestyle performances.

"I made a little bit of a mistake in the first round, and I got really nervous before the start of the second round, but in the end I did very well," said the champion Son.

The 12-year-old Wanraya Wannapong from Thailand and Heiko Schenk from Germany pocketed silver and bronze medals respectively in the international masters section. 

A regular visitor to China, seed player Heiko Schenk was impressed by the crowds at the competition, saying that it was always a highlight to visit China not only because it's far from Germany, but because of the universal experience created by people gathered together to enjoy something new. 

The lights set up for flying in the middle of night, together with the warm glow of drones, was a spectacular sight for Schenk and others in the audience.

Gu Shuai from Shanghai won gold in the national professionals group, followed by Li Zhongning from Nanjing, and Sun Tairan from Wuxi.

Drones prepare to take off at the final of the 2019 International Drone Competition in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, Sept 6. [Photo by Xiao Da/chinadaily.com.cn]

Winners of the international masters group showcase their awards at the final of the 2019 International Drone Competition in Wuxi, Jiangsu province on Sept 6. [Photo by Xiao Da/chinadaily.com.cn]