Max Park
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Max Park is an American speedcuber. Known as one of the greatest speedcubers of all time, Max rose to prominence in 2016, after achieving North American records in the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 Cubes, and a world record average (10.59 seconds) in 3x3x3 One-Handed. He is the only speedcuber aside from Feliks Zemdegs to win the WCA World Championship twice, winning in 2017 and 2023. He currently holds the 3x3x3 world record single of 3.13 set at Pride in Long Beach 2022. He is ranked 5th in the world for the 3x3x3 average of 5, with a North American Record of 4.86 seconds.
Max is sponsored by hydration company Prime and cubing retailer SpeedCubeShop. He formerly endorsed a line of lubricants and cubes called "Max", until the end of his sponsorship contract with TheCubicle.
Contents
Career
Park got into cubing in 2012, and went to his first competition in the same year. At his second competition, Park won the 6×6×6 event.[15] Park continued competing and improving, winning his first gold medal in the 3×3×3 event at the Nub Open 2016.[16] On February 25, 2017, Park broke the North American Average for the 3×3×3 event, with a result of 6.92 seconds.[17]
In July of that same year he won the US Nationals tournament for the 3x3x3, 4x4x4, and 5x5x5 events as well as the 3x3x3 One-Handed. Just a week later he won the 3x3x3 event and the One-Handed event at the World Championship 2017 in Paris.
Going into CubingUSA Nationals 2018, Max Park was the defending champion in 3x3, 4x4, 5x5 and One Handed, and defended all 4 titles, as well as gaining titles in 6x6 and 7x7. He then defended all of these titles (except 3x3, where he was upset by Patrick Ponce) in 2019.
At WC2019, he suffered a shock upset in the finals of 3x3, coming 4th even though his average of 6.83 was only 0.09 off Philipp Weyer's winning average of 6.74. Still though, he came out as World Champion in 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7 and One-Handed.
At WC2023, he came first for 3x3, 5x5, and 7x7, the fewest world titles he had won since WC2017. This was the 2nd time he had earned the title of Rubik's Cube World Champion, only the 2nd person to do so, after Feliks Zemdegs. Park holds the world record for average of five 4×4×4 solves: 19.38 seconds, set at Arizona Speedcubing Spring 2023. He also holds the world record for a single solve with a time of 15.71, achieved at Colorado Mountain Tour - Evergreen 2024 .
Park holds the world record for the average of five 5×5×5 solves - 34.76 seconds - set at Rubik's WCA North American Championship 2024.[4] Prior to Park's first 5×5×5 record, the records for single and average of five 5×5×5 solves had been held by Feliks Zemdegs of Australia, who had improved the two records a combined 32 times. Park is the only cuber other than Zemdegs or Tymon Kolasiński to have set either 5×5×5 record since 11 August 2012.
Park holds the world records for single and mean of three 6×6×6 solves: 58.03 seconds and 1:05.66 seconds, respectively, both set at CubingUSA Western Championship 2024. At Southeast Championship 2022, Max Park became the first cuber to break the 1 minute barrier on 6×6×6 with a solve of 59.74, a feat that his rival Feliks Zemdegs had previously stated was impossible
Park holds the world records for single and mean of three 7×7×7 solves: 94.15 seconds and 99.68 seconds, set at Rubik's WCA North American Championship 2024 and Nub Open Yucaipa 2024, respectively.
Park previously held the world record for average of five 3×3×3 solves with one hand (OH): 8.62 seconds, but this has since been beaten by Sean Patrick Villanueva from the Phillippines. Park was the first person to achieve a sub-10 second one-handed average in competition, with an average of 9.99 seconds on 13 January 2018 at Thanks Four The Invite 2018
Trivia
- Max Park has autism.
Achievements
| World Titles | ||
| Preceded by Feliks Zemdegs 2015 |
3x3x3 World Champion 2017 |
Succeeded by Philipp Weyer 2019 |
| Preceded by Philipp Weyer 2019 |
3x3x3 World Champion 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Feliks Zemdegs 2015 |
3x3x3 One Handed World Champion 2017, 2019 |
Succeeded by Sean Patrick Villanueva 2023 |
| Preceded by Sebastian Weyer 2017 |
4x4x4 World Champion 2019 |
Succeeded by Tymon Kolasinski 2023 |
| Preceded by Feliks Zemdegs 2017 |
5x5x5 World Champion 2019, 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Kevin Hays 2017 |
6x6x6 World Champion 2019 |
Succeeded by Tymon Kolasinski 2023 |
| Preceded by Feliks Zemdegs 2017 |
7x7x7 World Champion 2019, 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Continental Titles | ||
| Preceded by Matty Hiroto Inaba 2022 |
3x3x3 North American Champion 2024 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Patrick Ponce 2022 |
4x4x4 North American Champion 2024 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Matty Hiroto Inaba 2022 |
5x5x5 North American Champion 2024 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Diego Rodriguez-Ramirez 2022 |
6x6x6 North American Champion 2024 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Kevin Hays 2022 |
7x7x7 North American Champion 2024 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Kian Mansour 2022 |
3x3x3 One Handed North American Champion 2024 |
Incumbent |
| National Titles | ||
| Preceded by Lucas Etter 2016 |
3x3x3 US Champion 2017, 2018 |
Succeeded by Patrick Ponce 2019 |
| Preceded by Patrick Ponce 2019 |
3x3x3 US Champion 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Kevin Costello III 2015 |
4x4x4 US Champion 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Kevin Hays 2012-2016 |
5x5x5 US Champion 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Kevin Hays 2012-2017 |
6x6x6 US Champion 2018, 2019, 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Kevin Hays 2011-2017 |
7x7x7 US Champion 2018, 2019, 2023 |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Justin Mallari 2016 |
3x3x3 One Handed US Champion 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 |
Incumbent
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External links
- Max Park - Official YouTube channel
