A Decade of Battles, Still a World Champion
This time, the interviewee is Tymon Kolasiński from Poland, a world-renowned Speedcuber.
Who is Tymon? No need for lengthy introductions—many of you already have plenty of answers in mind: One of the strongest cubers on the planet, master of both NxN and shape-mods, early “Pyraminx God,” pioneer of official 3x3 Sub-5, newly crowned 5x5 World Champion, and the stylishly cool guy of the cubing world…
Today, let’s talk about some lesser-known stories of Tymon.
A Decade of Battles, Still a World Champion
Tymon first solved a Rubik’s Cube in 2015, when he was just ten years old. “At that time, I could solve it successfully, but not every time, and it wasn’t smooth or consistent. That made me feel quite frustrated, so I set cubing aside for about a year.”
“In 2016, I decided to really learn cubing seriously. I studied, mastered it, and then began competing—ever since then, I’ve never stopped.”
That’s how the story began. Tymon started with Pyraminx, then moved on to 3x3, perfectly in line with his path to greatness.
In May 2016, at the age of 10, Tymon competed in his first official major cubing competition. His results in the three events he entered were not particularly remarkable.
In 2016, Tymon stood on the Pyraminx podium four times in a single year. In 2017, he began his record-breaking journey: first achieving a single solve national record, then setting an average world record, ultimately ending Drew Brads’ dominance in Pyraminx that year.
In 2018, at just 13, Tymon claimed the Pyraminx single world record, and with a 1.87-second solve, ushered in the sub-2-second era for Pyraminx averages. In 2019, he secured the Pyraminx World Champion title at Worlds, and kept breaking Pyraminx world records all the way until 2021.
Starting with Pyraminx, Tymon shook the cubing community with astonishing achievements, and soon set off a storm in the NxN events.
In 2018, he climbed onto the 3x3 podium. In 2019, he shattered national records and dominated Poland. In 2020–2021, he chased European records. By the end of 2021, he claimed the 3x3 average world record. Then in 2022, he broke another 3x3 world record, opening a new Sub-5 era and becoming one of the legends of the new cubing generation.
Exceptional Skill, Balanced and Composed
Thinking back to when he first started cubing, Tymon said: “When I first touched the cube, I didn’t think I’d become good at it. But not long after, I had a feeling I might turn into a skilled cuber.”
From 2015 to 2025, Tymon’s premonition came full circle.
Ten years ago, he was just an ordinary kid. Now, he’s a full-time cuber. He has elevated speedcubing as a sport, and cubing has not only brought him glory but also the freedom to choose his own path.
What started as a hobby became a career, and work has blended seamlessly into life. At twenty, Tymon radiates ease and balance. He sums up his life in three words: travel, cubing, rest. Yes, cubing comes second now—he’s very much a traveler at heart.
When asked about the biggest change cubing has brought him, his first answer was also travel: “I travel way more than I ever expected. Sometimes I even think I travel too much—especially during summer.”
Though travel is a big part of his life now, he also plays tennis and goes running in his spare time. Still, he invests plenty of effort and time into cubing—training, experimenting with new methods, and never slacking.
Since September 2024, Tymon has been using the ZB method in competitions. “Even by May 2025, I still felt ZB was difficult. After switching, my solves were slower than before, but I believe the payoff will come soon.”
Tymon is one of the top method innovators in cubing, known for his insane logic and god-tier solving methods that often wow fellow cubers. But how did he get so skilled?
When asked, Tymon’s answer was simple: “I just practiced a lot.” And when pressed for tips or secrets to share with other cubers? He only gave one word: “Practice.”
It must be admitted: Tymon’s path to greatness is nearly impossible to replicate. Even if you sought his guidance, he’d likely say, “I don’t really know.” This isn’t him being modest—his path is indeed unique. “Most of the time, I was self-taught, just practicing on my own.”
But he wasn’t learning completely on his own. Tymon revealed that some of Poland’s top cubers had inspired him, and one of them—Jonatan Kłosko—left a profound impact on his cubing career.
(Note: Jonatan Kłosko was one of Poland’s early Skewb “Three Musketeers.” Between 2014 and 2017, he broke the Skewb world record nine times, and is now a senior member of the WCA Software Team.)
“Jonatan often shared with me lots of cubing skills and his ways of thinking about the cube. Some of the skills I never used, but others I absorbed into my solves and still use today. The most important thing he taught me was pseudo slotting. I believe part of the reason pseudo slotting became popular is that I had mastered it well and demonstrated its applications and effectiveness.”
With his unique skills, and a straightforward boldness, Tymon is undoubtedly one of the rarest kinds of cubers. But one can’t help but wonder—does he have any real concerns?
Peak Unknown, Growing Stronger with Every Battle
If he had to name a concern, it would probably be his turning speed—what Tymon sees as his “bottleneck.”
“Even after I broke the 3x3 average world record in 2021, my TPS was still quite low. With lots of practice, it improved somewhat. Even now, my TPS is still not as good as other top cubers, but I hope one day I’ll catch up.”
But with Tymon’s unique solving methods, his so-called “bottleneck” in turning speed was never a real obstacle—otherwise, a 3x3 average world record would have been out of reach.
His first 3x3 world record in 2021 carried deep meaning. “Compared to breaking Pyraminx world records, breaking the 3x3 record was far more precious, because it was much harder for me. I was really satisfied with that record, because it proved that with unique methods and a lot of practice, I could achieve it.”
Unlike the utter shock and incredulity he felt when he first broke the Pyraminx world record, Tymon was calmer yet still excited when he broke the 3x3 record. That record drew wide attention—he joined GAN GURUS, inspired a wave of new cubers, and his life changed significantly.
In July 2022, something even more exciting happened! With the GAN12 Maglev, Tymon achieved an astonishing 4.86s, becoming the first ever official Sub-5 on 3x3—breaking Feliks Zemdegs’ monopoly on “the first Sub-x” records. His fame skyrocketed, and his image as the “long-haired prodigy” became iconic. Yet in 2023, Tymon suddenly cut his long hair short, leaving many cubers exclaiming, “My youth is over!”
Knowing how curious cubers were, I asked him about the story behind it. He said: “I cut my hair short just because I thought it’d be fun.”
“I didn’t tell anyone I was planning to cut it, so when I showed up at a competition afterward, it was really fun to see everyone’s reactions—that was exactly what I wanted.” That’s so him: looks cool, but secretly enjoys mischief.
A side note: Is Tymon an extrovert or introvert? After all, he’s the kind of competitor who jumps three feet high after breaking a record. Tymon himself answered: “I think I’m a combination of both. I don’t like talking to strangers, but I really enjoy conversations with friends.”
After joining GAN GURUS, he became friends with many teammates. “They’re both my rivals and my teammates. I really enjoy talking with them. Even after competitions, we keep in touch—chatting about cubing, about daily life, sharing all sorts of things.”
When asked why he loves cubing, Tymon still gave his usual answer: “I can’t really explain it—cubing is just awesome.”
But he said his impression of cubing has stayed the same over the past ten years: “It’s fun, it’s competitive, and my view of it has never changed.”
Year after year, where exactly is Tymon’s peak? Perhaps different people have different answers. From shape mods to standard cubes, from 3x3 to 7x7, across 168 competitions—whenever people thought his peak might be over, he rose again with new storms and new surprises, making everyone believe his best is still ahead.
Among these 168 competitions, the one that impressed Tymon the most was the 2024 North American Championship last July. “On the last day of that competition, I was in my best state. I won every round, beat Max Park in both the 4x4 semifinal and final as well as the 5x5 final, and set European records in those two events. My 3x3 final was also solid. I hope one day I can find that state again—it was incredible.”
Now in his tenth year of cubing, Tymon says his hope is: “Breaking any new record would be great, especially ones I’ve already broken before. I think beating my own record is harder than beating someone else’s.”
The cubing world has always been a place of limitless challenges and boundless youth, where rankings shift constantly but the desire to break through never fades. May this talented, ambitious Polish cuber continue to win brilliantly and climb to even greater heights on his new journey!
