XENIA — Drew Brads won a world championship title and broke his own world record June 16 at the 2017 Rubik’s Cube World Championships in Paris.
Brads, 17, won the top title on the Pyraminx, the pyramid-shaped Rubik’s puzzle. His average solve-time of the Pyraminx was 2.04 seconds, breaking his own former world record of 2.14 seconds, which he set at the Cubing USA National Championships in July 2016.
In addition to his new Pyraminx World Champion title, Brads also won the Pyraminx National Champion title at the 2017 USA Cubing Nationals in Ft. Wayne, Ind., July 9, with an average solve time of 2.50 seconds.
The World Championships in Paris was the largest gathering of speedcubers in the history of the sport, and was attended by the cube’s creator, Ernó Rubik, whom Brads was able to meet during an interview after the 3×3 Rubik’s Cube finals.
“It was an honor to be able to meet and speak with Ernó Rubik,” Brads said.
Brads, a Xenia resident and rising senior at Legacy Christian High School, was the 2013 Pyraminx World Champion and 2014 and 2015 Pyraminx U.S. National Champion, as well as the 2015 Rubik’s Cube U.S. National Champion. He also holds the North American Record for the 3×3 Rubik’s Cube, solving it in just 4.76 seconds at a competition in March 2017.
“This year’s world championship was an incredible opportunity to face off with nearly 1000 of the world’s fastest solvers,” he said. “The competition was tougher than ever before, and I didn’t have the best time in the preliminary rounds, so I was nervous that I would not perform well in the final round. Fortunately, I found some great solutions and recorded my best ever average result when it counted the most, setting the new world record to 2.04 seconds. I’m very thankful to my friends and family for supporting me and travelling with me to so many competitions, and I’m thankful to God for the privilege of being a part of the cubing community.”
Brads was at the Rubik’s World Championships in Paris thanks to his sponsors TheCubicle.Us and Mo-Yu Cube, two leading forces in the sport of speedcubing.
“My accomplishments would never have been possible without my partnership with MoYu Cube and TheCubicle.us,” Brads said. “Beyond providing me with speed-cubes and assisting with travel expenses, they are my friends and partners to help me improve personally. Their tireless work constantly makes the cubing community more fun, exciting, and fast.”
