Watch this teen solve a Rubik’s Cube in a record-breaking 4.9 seconds
When it comes to solving Rubik’s Cubes, teens reign supreme. Last July, 19-year-old Feliks Zemdegs won the Rubik’s Cube World Championship in Sao Paulo Brazil with a time of 5.69 seconds; just shy of 15-year-old Collin Burns’ world record of 5.25 seconds from last April. And now, both Zemdegs and Burns have some new competition: Last weekend, 14-year-old Lucas Etter shattered the world record by solving a 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube in 4.90 seconds.
According to a video uploaded to YouTube, Etter solved the cube at Maryland’s River Hill Fall 2015 competition — and it goes without saying that his accomplishment was no small feat. According to TIME, the World Cube Association “is still in the process of verifying the record” (these things are very official), but whether or not it makes the history books, it’s quite the site to behold.
In the beginning of the video, Etter is seen taking a couple seconds to inspect the puzzle before setting it down and declaring himself ready. (According to the WCA, “The competitor is allotted a maximum of 15 seconds to inspect the puzzle and start the solve.”) What happen’s next is Rubik’s Cube magic — followed by baffled celebration.
And before anyone cries “fake” — this is the Internet, after all — we should probably point out that any official WCA competition has an endless set of rules and regulations in place to prevent cheating. Etter’s skills are the real deal, and he has the impressive time to prove it.
(Image via Shutterstock.)
