Three-time champion cuber speedily solves puzzle in just over one minute WHILE juggling!

Whether he’s hanging upside-down, or juggling or playing video games with his other free hand, the quick-fingered cuber Ethan Jan (USA) has claimed three world record titles for his unique skills with the puzzle cube – each of which requires some ridiculous dexterity. 

The talented student first started messing around with Rubik’s cubes when he was 10 years old, spending hours flicking the pieces around in his palm and improving his skills. But whereas other cubing hobbyists might practise recreationally, Ethan had a goal in mind – he wanted to be the world champion.

“When I first started solving Rubik’s cubes at age 10, I often said I wanted to set a world record,” he told Guinness World Records in 2022. “I would practise for many hours each day and constantly express my desire to set world records, but I did not aim for any specific record title at the time. Instead, I just focused on improving my skills.”

However, Ethan’s perspective changed (literally, and figuratively) once he saw there was a title for the fastest time to solve a rotating puzzle cube upside down. This was an uncommon cubing challenge, one that required physical strength as well as mental clarity – and the aspiring record holder knew exactly that that’d be the title he took on first.

“Solving Rubik’s cubes upside down is a skill that many people do not think much about, due to its uniqueness,” he said. “I also hope to promote solving upside down, since it is not done very often but may sometimes be more entertaining to watch.”

As such, he began practising for the attempt, scrambling and solving the cube repeatedly from both the upright and upside down positions. 

“The training was overall simple when solving the Rubik’s cubes,” he said. “Hanging upside down was a much bigger challenge for me, since I am not used to the condition and blood would rush to my head at a much faster rate.”

Yet by the day of his first attempt on 5 December 2021, Ethan forced down his nerves and flipped his legs over the pull-up bar, nervous yet confident he could take the title. 

And he was able to solve the cube upside down in just 8.91 seconds, smashing the record of 10.81 seconds set by Daryl Tan (Singapore) on 18 April 2021!

Ethan was immediately hooked on the record-breaking buzz, saying that he was “proud of his personal achievement” and eager to take on another cubing challenge again.

“A large part of my life and career in solving Rubik’s cubes involved solving alone in my room, and I did not find opportunities to publicly show people the skills I had developed,” he explained. “Recently, I have been trying to showcase my skills to the public more often, and having a Guinness World Records title would push me further in promoting speedcubing as well as putting myself out there.”

See more stories about cubing competitors and speedy record holders in our Hobbies and Skills section!

So just a few years later, Ethan decided to come back for more.

By this time, the cuber was well-prepared to take on another world records title, after competing regularly in cubing tournaments, participating on the TV show Game of Talents, and even showing off his skills to the judges of America’s Got Talent!

The next title he attempted was for the fastest time to solve a rotating puzzle cube whilst juggling, a challenge which requires the cuber to sort out a 3x3x3 Rubik's cube in one hand while juggling two balls with the other.

Yet Ethan effortlessly destroyed the attempt in a time of 12.05 seconds, nudging Daryl Tan Hong An (Singapore)’s record of 13.03 seconds to second place.

And the accomplished cuber didn’t stop there, attempting a similar record on 4 November last year, just seven months after he won his second title. 

This time, he was trying to take the crown for the fastest time to solve a 4x4x4 rotating puzzle cube whilst juggling – a record that would necessitate a larger-sized puzzle cube, but still call for the same level of hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

Surrounded by a group of friends and witnesses, Ethan took on the challenge at the University of California Berkeley, scrambling and setting up the cube on a table at the campus.

And with his right hand tossing two hacky-sacks in the air, his left hand scooped up the cube, and started deftly rearranging the pieces on the puzzle as fast as he could.

By the time he smacked the solved cube on to the table and stopped the timer, Ethan had completed the challenge in a time of 1 minute and 14.69 seconds – successfully securing him his third title.

“I am delighted to have contributed to the diverse history of world records that were broken at UC Berkeley. More importantly though, I am so grateful for the people around me that made all of this possible.” Ethan said on Instagram after his attempt, giving a shout out to his school and the Berkeley Cube Club, his sponsor Speed Cube Shop, Guinness World Records for validating his titles.

 “This certificate may have my name as the record holder, but the achievement itself is ours and a result of our teamwork.”

Congratulations Ethan on your collection of cubing record titles – you are Officially Amazing!