Teen Breaks 5-Second Barrier for Rubik's Cube

In a recent competition at a local high school, a teenager from Lexington, Ky., set a new world’s record for solving a Rubik’s cube.

Lucas Etter, 14, worked the three-by-three cube in less than five seconds, the Washington Post reported, in the contest Saturday at River Hill High School in Clarksville. He edged out another competitor who solved the cube in 5.09 seconds, breaking the existing world’s record.

Over the last five years, Etter has traveled all over the country to enter Rubik’s cube competitions, the Post reported. He has gradually cut his time from about 24 seconds down to 12.09 seconds, and then from 10 seconds down to 5.85, and he’s won contests in Nashville, Tenn.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Austin, Texas; Dayton, Ohio, and other places.

Having broken the five-second barrier, Etter said he wants to keep working to improve his time and take on larger versions of the Rubik’s cube. For example, he’s worked a seven-by-seven cube in 3 minutes and 45 seconds.