People · United States
Nathan Khoa Cao
3×3 · top 4.7% of 288,433 all-time · competing since March 2026 · 2026CAON01
Nathan Khoa Cao has been competing for 7 months. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.90, set at Moore Cubes in Loudoun 2026, puts him in the top 4.7% of the 288,433 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 2,636th in the United States. Until May 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 7 competitions since March 2026, he has put 154 official solves on the record across five events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 15% around a typical one; 84% of the 36,406 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 8.90, a 24% improvement. Nathan has entered seven competitions, more competitions than 88% 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 | 8.90 | 11.20 | top 4.7% | 2,636 / 60,666 | |
| 2×2 | 3.35 | 4.80 | top 18.5% | 7,327 / 41,674 | |
| 4×4 | 50.32 | 58.80 | top 25.2% | 3,918 / 19,354 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 29.03 | 36.39 | top 44.5% | 6,100 / 15,900 | |
| 5×5 | 1:53.06 | 1:59.91 | top 44.8% | 3,747 / 9,537 |
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
- 17 Oct 2026Three personal bests in one day at Virginia Championship 2026.
- 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
- Virginia Championship 2026 · 17 Oct 2026 — 3 personal bests set
- Moore Cubes in Loudoun 2026 · 19 Sep 2026 — 1 personal best set
- 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 33 rounds, never finished ahead
- Hassan Khanani — met in 29 rounds, never finished ahead
- Zayn Khanani — met in 29 rounds, never finished ahead
Next targets
- A sub-8 3×3 single — 8,101 people have one; it is 0.90 away.
- A sub-3 2×2 single — 27,049 people have one; it is 0.35 away.
Targets move as he improves.