Kevin Hays (speedcuber)
Kevin Hays | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Hays at the Rubik's Cube World Championship in July 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 12, 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Known for | Rubik's Cube speedsolving | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kevin Hays (born May 12, 1994) is an American speedcuber. He is best known for his proficiency at solving larger Rubik's cube puzzles, specifically the 5×5×5, 6×6×6 and 7×7×7 events. He has won six World Championship titles and set 21 world records across the aforementioned three events. In addition, he has set 47 North American records and secured 21 titles at the United States National Championships.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Hays was raised in Renton, Washington, where he started speedcubing during his freshman year of high school in January 2009.[2] He later enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis,[3] where he continued to practice cubing while also competing as a member of the Washington University Bears varsity swim team.[4]
In 2019, Hays competed on the American television game show series Mental Samurai, ultimately finishing in 5th place.[5]
Rubik's Cube career
[edit]Hays made his competition debut at US Nationals 2009, achieving a 4th place finish in the 6×6×6 event and advancing to the final round in the 5×5×5 event. The following year at US Nationals 2010, he secured the national title in the 6×6 category with an average time of 2:36.44.[6] At US Nationals 2011, he set his first world records in the 6×6×6 event, recording a world-record single time of 2:02.31 and an average time of 2:09.03.
In October 2011, Hays participated in his first World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. Although he still held the world record average in the 6×6 event at this point, he recorded a DNF (Did Not Finish) result in the finals. However, he achieved a 2nd place finish in the 7×7×7 event with an average time of 3:46.99.[7] At the 2012 US Nationals, he won the 4×4×4, 5×5×5, 6×6×6, and 7×7×7 events while finishing third in the traditional 3×3×3 event. Between 2012 and 2016, Hays consistently claimed the US national champion title in the 5×5×5, 6×6×6, and 7×7×7 events and maintained a top-three placement in these events for ten consecutive US Nationals from 2010 to 2019.[1]
At the 2013 World Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hays became the first competitor to win the 5×5×5, 6×6×6, and 7×7×7 events at a single championship.[8] At the 2015 World Championship in São Paulo, Brazil, he defended his titles in the 6×6×6 and 7×7×7 events and finished second in the 5×5×5 event behind Feliks Zemdegs.[9] During the 2017 World Championship in Paris, France, Hays once again defended his 6×6×6 title and placed as runner-up in the 7×7×7 event behind Feliks Zemdegs. In 2019, at the World Championship in Melbourne, Australia, he finished second in the 6×6×6 event, with Max Park emerging as the champion.[10]
Throughout his career, Hays broke the 6×6×6 world record single time on six occasions and improved the average record nine times. From December 10, 2011, to December 17, 2016, he was the sole record holder of the 6×6 single event, improving his record from 1:54.81 to 1:32.77. On March 10, 2018, Hays set a milestone by becoming the first person to solve a 7×7×7 cube in under two minutes in an official competition, with a time of 1:59.95.[11]
On August 10, 2019, Hays announced his retirement from elite speedcubing to focus on the hobby aspect of the sport,[12] and he later confirmed his retirement from professional speedcubing on January 1, 2022.[13]
Notable results
[edit]World records
[edit]| Event[1] | Single | Average | Competition | Date | Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6×6×6 | 1:34.21 | Lexington Summer 2017 | July 1, 2017 | 1:40.66, 1:32.77, 1:29.19 | |
| 6×6×6 | 1:32.77 | 1:42.36 | Asian Championship 2016 | October 1, 2016 | 1:45.93, 1:48.39, 1:32.77 |
| 6×6×6 | 1:45.98 | World Championship 2015 | June 14, 2015 | 1:43.03, 1:51.66, 1:43.23 | |
| 6×6×6 | 1:46.41 | World Championship 2015 | July 17, 2015 | 1:48.99, 1:48.66, 1:41.58 | |
| 6×6×6 | 1:33.55 | Indiana 2015 | June 12, 2015 | ||
| 6×6×6 | 1:40.86 | 1:51.30 | Vancouver Summer 2013 | August 3, 2013 | 1:40.86, 2:01.94, 1:51.11 |
| 6×6×6 | 1:49.46 | 1:55.13 | Couve Cubing 2012 | May 5, 2012 | 1:53.88, 2:02.06, 1:49.46 |
| 6×6×6 | 2:00.43 | Lynden Open 2012 | February 4, 2012 | 1:57.96, 2:02.38, 2:00.94 | |
| 6×6×6 | 1:54.81 | 2:02.13 | Vancouver Winter 2011 | December 10, 2011 | 2:00.93, 1:54.81, 2:10.66 |
| 6×6×6 | 2:02.31 | 2:09.03 | US Nationals 2009 | August 12, 2011 | 2:13.68, 2:11.09, 2:02.31 |
| 7×7×7 | 1:57.76 | Rose City 2018 | June 9, 2018 | ||
| 7×7×7 | 1:59.95 | 2:08.71 | CubingUSA Heartland Championship 2018 | March 10, 2018 | 2:13.91, 2:12.27, 1:59.95 |
| 7×7×7 | 2:15.07 | Puget Sound Fall 2017 | September 23, 2017 | 2:23.33, 2:07.77, 2:14.12 | |
| 7×7×7 | 2:42.85 | Clock N' Stuff 2015 | May 23, 2015 | 2:45.87, 2:37.56, 2:45.11 | |
| 7×7×7 | 2:54.77 | World Championship 2013 | July 28, 2013 | 2:42.80, 2:56.39, 3:05.31 |
World Championship podiums
[edit]| Year[1] | Event | Place | Single | Average | Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 6×6×6 | 2 | 1:18.42 | 1:27.02 | 1:18.42, 1:30.94, 1:31.69 |
| 2017 | 6×6×6 | 1 | 1:32.00 | 1:35.34 | 1:32.00, 1:36.27, 1:37.75 |
| 2017 | 7×7×7 | 2 | 2:21.55 | 2:25.83 | 2:28.18, 2:21.55, 2:27.76 |
| 2015 | 5×5×5 | 2 | 51.26 | 55.66 | 51.26, 57.76, 54.77, 54.45, 1:02.12 |
| 2015 | 6×6×6 | 1 | 1:43.04 | 1:45.98 | 1:43.04, 1:51.66, 1:43.23 |
| 2015 | 7×7×7 | 1 | 2:41.89 | 2:45.36 | 2:45.36, 2:41.89, 2:50.43 |
| 2013 | 5×5×5 | 1 | 1:00.53 | 1:01.81 | 1:01.43, 1:01.64, 1:10.17, 1:00.53, 1:02.35 |
| 2013 | 6×6×6 | 1 | 1:52.42 | 1:56.14 | 1:52.92, 2:03.09, 1:52.42 |
| 2013 | 7×7×7 | 1 | 2:42.80 | 2:54.77 | 2:42.80, 2:56.39, 3:05.13 |
| 2011 | 7×7×7 | 2 | 3:37.52 | 3:46.99 | 3:37.52, 3:51.19, 3:52.27 |
Official personal bests
[edit]| Event[14] | Category | Time | Competition name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3×3 | Single | 5.89 | PDX Cubing for Dougy 2016 |
| Average | 7.68 | WCA World Championship 2019 | |
| 4×4×4 | Single | 21.73 | CubingUSA Nationals 2018 |
| Average | 27.19 | Rubik's WCA World Championship 2023 | |
| 5×5×5 | Single | 42.36 | Vancouver Big Cubes Open 2019 |
| Average | 47.91 | Vancouver Big Cubes Open 2019 | |
| 6×6×6 | Single | 1:14.06 | Vancouver Big Cubes Open 2019 |
| Average | 1:21.24 | CubingUSA New England Championship 2023 | |
| 7×7×7 | Single | 1:50.62 | CubingUSA Northwest Championship 2024 |
| Average | 1:56.03 | Empire State Winter 2024 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Team, WCA Website. "World Cube Association - Official Results". Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "Renton 'speedcuber' breaks world Rubik's Cube record". August 6, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "WashU junior Kevin Hays to attempt Rubik's Cube world record at Thurtene Carnival - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis". April 9, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "Kevin Hays". WUSTL Athletics. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ "Kevin Hays". www.facebook.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
- ^ "United States Rubik's Cube Championships 2010 - World Cube Association". Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2011 - World Cube Association". Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2013 - World Cube Association". Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2015 - World Cube Association". Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "World Rubik's Cube Championship 2019 - World Cube Association". Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ "Records | World Cube Association".
- ^ "Instagram - Kevin Hays". Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ Hays, Kevin [@hayscubing] (January 1, 2022). "As of today, my tenure as a professional Rubik's Cube solver has officially ended. Thank you to @yuxin_cube and @thecubicleofficial for all the support over the years". Retrieved January 1, 2022 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Kevin Hays | World Cube Association". www.worldcubeassociation.org. Retrieved January 16, 2019.