11-year-old Nerul lad breaks Asian pyraminx cubing record

11-year-old Imaad Sohel Ajani from Navi Mumbai becomes the first Asian record holder in unscrambling a Pyraminx Cube, with a time of 1.02 seconds. He aims to break the world record of 0.75 seconds.

It took just 1.02 seconds for 11 year old Imaad Sohel Ajani to unscramble a Pyraminx Cube and secure the tag of being first Asian record holder to achieve the feat. The resident of Nerul, Navi Mumbai has taken up cubing just two years ago and has already bagged four gold, five silver and six bronze medals at different competitions held across the country. The sixth grader is now eyeing to break the world record of 0.75 seconds.

Nerul resident Imaad Sohel Ajani receiving the trophy at the Pune Unscrambled 2023 competition held last week (HT PHOTO)

Studying in Podar International School, Imaad is totally devoted to learning the nuances of the game. He spends hours practicing his memory muscle as well as keeps himself abreast with the forever evolving algorithm of Cubing by watching videos online. “ It was an exhilarating moment to witness the swiftness with which the cube was unscrambled to a single-colour structure. ” said Sohel Ajani, the proud father.

Imaad has become the first cuber in the last five years to shatter the Asian continental record and has also secured the e 9th rank worldwide. He managed to solve the cube in just eight moves which happened in a split second. The record was previously held by Chinese cuber Yulun Wu at 1.10 seconds. The competition was held in Pune on October 21.

“ I wanted to break the record, but when I actually did it it was quite surreal for me and I just couldn’t believe that I managed to beat the record time,” Imaad told HT

The father goes on to describe the manner in which Imaad acquired the skillset for the game. “ Initially he was hooked on playing cricket and used to spend hours practicing every aspect of the game. In fact our house has every gear needed to play cricket. But with Covid lockdown, since playing cricket was not possible, his elder brother Zaid introduced him to cubing,” said the father.

Seeing Imaad’s growing interest in cubing, the dutiful parents researched ways to further the passion. They got their son enrolled for a cubing competition conducted by World Cubing Association (WCA) , a body that organizes the event worldwide. `He has been so invested in learning the techniques, we realized that he should be given the opportunity to explore his abilities. His first competition was in Pune,” said his mother Mariyam Ajani.

The future road map for the toddler is to break the world record of 0.75 seconds presently held by Elijah Brown Of the United States. To achieve this, Imaad follows a strict routine of practicing and perfecting his muscle memory. Aiding in his efforts is his brother who keeps providing him with newer algorithms to follow. “ The boys are very supportive and are doing whatever possible to do their best. Imaad wakes up at 6 am and practices the moves until the time the school bus arrives and even after he returns home he keeps himself updated. During his practice session he has managed to unscramble the cube in a matter of 0.86 seconds,” said his father.