People · United States
Nathan Khoa Cao
3×3 · top 5.4% of 284,439 all-time · competing since March 2026 · 2026CAON01
Nathan Khoa Cao has been competing for 6 months. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 9.22, set at Colonial Cube Clash VA 2026, puts him in the top 5.4% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 3,012th in the United States. Until February 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 5 competitions since March 2026, he has put 102 official solves on the record across five events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 13% around a typical one; 52% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 11.66 in March 2026 to 9.22, a 21% improvement. Nathan has entered five competitions, more competitions than 83% 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 | 9.22 | 11.50 | top 5.4% | 3,012 / 59,724 | |
| 2×2 | 3.35 | 5.95 | top 18.4% | 7,199 / 40,951 | |
| 4×4 | 51.35 | 58.80 | top 26.4% | 4,060 / 19,072 | |
| 5×5 | 1:55.58 | 2:13.56 | top 46.4% | 3,839 / 9,401 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 30.28 | 36.39 | top 47.3% | 6,438 / 15,683 |
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
- 13 Jun 2026First sub-10 3×3: 9.22 at Colonial Cube Clash VA 2026.
- 15 Mar 2026First competition: TJHSST Winter 2026. A 12.38 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- Colonial Cube Clash VA 2026 · 13 Jun 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- RVA Spring 2026 · 31 May 2026
- Derwood Cubing Derby Spring 2026 · 9 May 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- Welcome to Washington D.C. 2026 · 25 Apr 2026 — 2 personal bests set
- TJHSST Winter 2026 · 15 Mar 2026 — 1 personal best 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.
- Fiona Bao — met in 22 rounds, never finished ahead
- Hassan Khanani — met in 18 rounds, never finished ahead
- Zayn Khanani — met in 18 rounds, never finished ahead
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 1.22 away.
- A sub-3 2×2 single — 26,570 people have one; it is 0.35 away.
Targets move as he improves.