People · United States
Preston Dowling
3×3 · top 9.1% of 284,439 all-time · competing since March 2025 · 2025DOWL03
Preston Dowling has been competing for a year. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 10.55, set at Cubing in the 'Cuse 2026, puts him in the top 9.1% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 4,980th in the United States. Until August 2006, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 4 competitions since March 2025, he has put 197 official solves on the record across twelve events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 15% around a typical one, an early reading from 9 counted rounds. That figure sets aside his 3 DNFs. His 3×3 best has come down from 13.86 in March 2025 to 10.55, a 24% improvement. Preston has entered four competitions, more competitions than 78% 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 | 10.55 | 13.39 | top 9.1% | 4,980 / 59,724 | |
| 2×2 | 2.60 | 3.71 | top 9.9% | 3,907 / 40,951 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 18.79 | 24.96 | top 17.2% | 2,221 / 15,683 | |
| Clock | 8.65 | 9.69 | top 18.2% | 1,397 / 8,927 | |
| Skewb | 5.06 | 6.78 | top 18.6% | 2,963 / 18,907 | |
| Square-1 | 18.00 | 35.82 | top 23.4% | 1,547 / 6,743 | |
| Pyraminx | 6.71 | 9.76 | top 25.5% | 6,981 / 28,708 | |
| 4×4 | 53.17 | 55.70 | top 28.6% | 4,437 / 19,072 | |
| Megaminx | 1:33.76 | 1:47.58 | top 30.5% | 2,146 / 7,841 | |
| 5×5 | 1:39.18 | 1:50.50 | top 34.7% | 2,753 / 9,401 | |
| 6×6 | 2:48.00 | 3:00.94 | top 35.1% | 1,262 / 4,196 | |
| 7×7 | 4:49.29 | 5:07.81 | top 47.5% | 1,379 / 3,184 |
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
- 14 Mar 2026Eleven personal bests in one day at Cubing in the 'Cuse 2026.
- 12 Oct 2025Nine personal bests in one day at New York Championship 2025.
- 29 Mar 2025First competition: Cubing in the 'Cuse 2025. A 13.86 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- Cubing in the 'Cuse 2026 · 14 Mar 2026 — 11 personal bests set
- New York Championship 2025 · 12 Oct 2025 — 9 personal bests set
- Gouverneur Summer 2025 · 23 Aug 2025
- Cubing in the 'Cuse 2025 · 29 Mar 2025
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.
- Evan Waters — met in 47 rounds, never finished ahead
- Jake Oppedisano — met in 46 rounds, finished ahead 14 times
- Chris Chi — met in 44 rounds, never finished ahead
Next targets
- A sub-10 3×3 single — 21,172 people have one; it is 0.55 away.
- A sub-2 2×2 single — 8,848 people have one; it is 0.60 away.
Targets move as he improves.