A six-year-old girl from China has stunned the speedcubing world after breaking the women's 3x3 Rubik's Cube average world record twice within three days, becoming the first female speedcuber to record an average time of less than 4.5 seconds.
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Lian Yunzhi, from Chengdu in China's Sichuan province, first set the women's record with an average solve time of 4.52 seconds at a World Cube Association-certified competition in Wuhan. Three days later, she lowered her own mark to 4.27 seconds at another WCA-certified competition in Guangzhou.
The average was calculated from five attempts, with Lian completing the individual solves in times that included a remarkable 4.02 seconds. Her new 4.27-second average made her the only female speedcuber in the world to have officially averaged below 4.5 seconds, according to reports citing Chinese state media.
Lian, who is nicknamed "Zhizhi", was introduced to the Rubik's Cube through a class when she was younger. Her mother, Lin Yangxi, told local media that she initially enrolled her daughter in the activity along with other extracurricular classes, including dance and music.
The family eventually focused more heavily on cubing after Lin noticed her daughter's aptitude for it.
According to her mother, Lian has mastered more than 1,300 Rubik's Cube-solving algorithms and trains for around two to three hours every day. Her parents also took her to Shanghai to train with professional coaches, with her performance improving significantly afterward.
Footage released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV shows Lian wearing a red gingham bow while rapidly turning the cube. After completing a solve, she places the cube on the table, claps her hands and pumps her fist in celebration.
Her mother said solving the cube can help children develop concentration, memory, logical thinking and spatial awareness. She also stressed that speedcubing involves more than memorising formulas, saying logical reasoning is required to find efficient solutions.
- The overall 3x3 Rubik's Cube single-solve world record is currently held by nine-year-old Polish speedcuber Teodor Zajder, who solved the puzzle in 2.76 seconds earlier this year.
