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People · United States

Nathaniel Lao

3×3 · top 4.6% of 284,439 all-time · competing since February 2019 · 2019LAON01

Nathaniel Lao has been competing for 8 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 8.89, set at Penn Cube Day Fall 2025, puts him in the top 4.6% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 2,567th in the United States. Until May 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 18 competitions since February 2019, he has put 356 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 14% around a typical one; 76% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds hold a tighter spread. His 3×3 best has come down from 13.89 in February 2019 to 8.89, a 36% improvement. Nathaniel has entered 18 competitions, more competitions than 96% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 4.6% of 284,439 all-time
8.89
signature single · Penn Cube Day Fall 2025
356
official solves on the record
14%
solve-to-solve spread · wider than 76% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
3×38.8911.71
top 4.6%2,567 / 59,724
3×3 one-handed17.3022.63
top 13.3%1,720 / 15,683
4×441.7647.69
top 14.2%2,115 / 19,072
Square-115.4021.40
top 17.3%1,175 / 6,743
3×3 blindfolded1:18.60—
top 19.1%373 / 2,092
Megaminx1:17.351:30.11
top 20.1%1,381 / 7,841
2×24.044.71
top 27.0%10,665 / 40,951
Skewb6.6613.89
top 31.0%5,117 / 18,907
5×51:59.24—
top 48.8%4,092 / 9,401
Pyraminx12.2518.37
top 68.7%20,348 / 28,708
6×65:06.98—
early days — 1 solve3,342 / 4,196
Clock29.15—
early days — 2 solves7,400 / 8,927

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

Bay Area Speedcubin' 14 2019: 13.89Pretzel Mania 2022: 11.53Princeton Fall 2022: 11.11West Chester Fall 2022: 12.98Penn Cube Day Spring 2023: 10.99Pretzel Mania Summer 2023: 9.32Penn Cube Day Spring 2024: 11.19South Jersey Speedsolving 2024: 10.77Penn Cube Day Fall 2024: 9.57Pop Off Princeton 2025: 10.42Penn Cube Day Spring 2025: 10.40SCU I: May the Fourth Be With You 2025: 9.06Flushing Glow Autumn PM 2025: 10.15Penn Cube Day Fall 2025: 8.898.8913.8916 Feb 20192 Nov 2025

Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.

The story so far

Competitions

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.

  • Ishaan Lal — met in 73 rounds, finished ahead twice
  • Zach Ridall — met in 59 rounds, finished ahead 4 times
  • Dana Yi — met in 59 rounds, finished ahead once

Next targets

  • A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 0.89 away.
  • A sub-15 3×3 one-handed single — 5,987 people have one; it is 2.30 away.

Targets move as he improves.