Many people have broken the Rubik's Cube world record in the past and now, an Australian man has broken it again.
The 22-year-old speedcuber Feliks Zemdegs is now the record holder after having solved the puzzle in 4.22 seconds.
Feliks Zemdegs Rubik's Cube World Record History
This is not the first time that Zemdegs has won the world title. He first got a taste of victory in the Melbourne Cube Day 2010 with 7.03 seconds, taking the title from Erik Akkersdijk of the Netherlands who had a record of 7.08 seconds.
He set a new record five more times in 2010 and 2011 before Mats Valk took the title. Valk took it home to the Netherlands during the Zonhoven Open 2013 with a record of 5.55 seconds. Zemdegs retrieved the title from Valk, who lost and won again over the course of three years, in the 2016 POPS Open in Melbourne with 4.73 seconds on the clock.
He then lost the title again to American Patrick Ponce before getting it back from South Korean SeungBeom Cho in the latest Cube For Cambodia 2018 competition in Melbourne on May 6.
The Road To The World Record Includes A Lot Of Practice
Having been inspired by the speedcubing videos on YouTube, Feliks Zemdegs first bought a Rubik's Cube in 2008 when he was 12 years old. He learned rather quickly, solving it for the first time within an hour of buying it and clocking half a minute within a month. He went on to break the world record for the first time in less than two years.
"For the most part, pretty much everyone who is doing these competitions has learned how to solve it off an Internet tutorial or off YouTube," Zemdegs said.
"It just takes a bit of practice and patience. But when you first learn how to solve it, it's very formulaic. You know, you'll learn you do this to solve this piece, then go to the next step and solve this piece."
He added that he was impressed by those who have learned to solve the Rubik's Cube all by themselves, stating that the feat is difficult even for him, the record holder. He doesn't consider himself a genius, although many will definitely think otherwise.
According to Zemdegs, anyone can learn how to solve the 3D puzzle but they must have pattern recognition, finger dexterity, and spatial awareness. To get fast at solving, he said that one must have a lot of dedication and practice.
