People · United States
Colin Nelson
3×3 · top 4.0% of 288,433 all-time · competing since April 2017 · 2017NELS03
Colin Nelson has been competing for 10 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.62, set at Cincinnati Speed Solving 2025, puts him in the top 4.0% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 2,293rd in the United States. Until July 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 10 competitions since April 2017, he has put 347 official solves on the record across eleven events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one, steadier than 59% of the 36,406 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 14.83 in April 2017 to 8.62, a 42% improvement. Colin has entered ten competitions, more competitions than 92% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 8.62 | 11.07 | top 4.0% | 2,293 / 60,666 | |
| 4×4 | 35.65 | 40.75 | top 7.4% | 1,149 / 19,354 | |
| Megaminx | 1:02.19 | 1:08.06 | top 11.2% | 777 / 8,026 | |
| Pyraminx | 5.43 | 8.03 | top 16.0% | 4,301 / 29,168 | |
| 5×5 | 1:15.99 | 1:25.52 | top 16.2% | 1,270 / 9,537 | |
| 2×2 | 3.52 | 4.29 | top 20.5% | 8,154 / 41,674 | |
| Square-1 | 18.65 | 24.76 | top 24.9% | 1,668 / 6,846 | |
| Skewb | 6.11 | 7.62 | top 26.7% | 4,394 / 19,164 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 24.53 | 29.53 | top 33.0% | 4,381 / 15,900 | |
| 3×3 blindfolded | 2:03.36 | 2:46.39 | top 34.6% | 724 / 2,128 | |
| 6×6 | 3:24.93 | 4:27.02 | top 52.8% | 2,023 / 4,262 |
Percentile against all competitors ever ranked in each event, a fairer measure than raw rank, because the pools differ by a factor of ten.
The line so far
Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.
The story so far
- 20 Jun 2026Three personal bests in one day at Oldham County Summer 2026.
- 22 Mar 2025Four personal bests in one day at Oldham County Spring 2025.
- 22 Feb 2025Three personal bests in one day at Cincinnati Speed Solving 2025.
- 15 Feb 2025Four personal bests in one day at Lex Mini V 2025.
- 25 Jan 2025Five personal bests in one day at Return of the Ville KY 2025.
- 11 May 2019First sub-10 3×3: 9.85 at Buccaneer Bonanza 2019.
Competitions
- Flex in Lex 2026 · 17 Oct 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Oldham County Summer 2026 · 20 Jun 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Oldham County Fall 2025 · 18 Oct 2025
- Oldham County Spring 2025 · 22 Mar 2025 — 4 personal bests set
- Cincinnati Speed Solving 2025 · 22 Feb 2025 — 3 personal bests set
- Lex Mini V 2025 · 15 Feb 2025 — 4 personal bests set
- Return of the Ville KY 2025 · 25 Jan 2025 — 5 personal bests set
- Buccaneer Bonanza 2019 · 11 May 2019 — 2 personal bests set
- Rocket City 3.0 2018 · 21 Apr 2018 — 4 personal bests set
- Rocket City 2017 · 8 Apr 2017 — 3 personal bests set
Reading this page: a single is one solve's time · an average is the middle three of five solves, best and worst discarded · a PB is a personal best · a DNF (did not finish) is an attempt with no valid result: a popped piece, an unsolved face, an over-limit memorisation · top X% compares against everyone ever ranked in that event, which is fairer than raw rank because event pools differ tenfold.
The circuit
The people whose scorecards keep turning up next to his.
- Roland Ababat — met in 51 rounds, finished ahead 7 times
- Justin Poole — met in 43 rounds, finished ahead 29 times
- Luke Garrett — met in 43 rounds, finished ahead twice
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 8,101 people have one; it is 0.62 away.
- A sub-30 4×4 single — 2,465 people have one; it is 5.65 away.
Targets move as he improves.