11-year-old Pinoy cubing whiz takes 2nd at World Championship

Sean Patrick Villanueva celebrates his second-place finish at the World Cube Association's World Championship in Australia on July 14, 2019. Photo: John Edison Ubaldo

In the world of speed, an 11-year old Filipino kid from Quezon City stunned the world and stood tall among older and more experienced rivals.

Sean Patrick Villanueva, currently a 6th grade student at the Ateneo de Manila University, made history on Sunday by becoming the youngest competitor to ever podium on cubing's grandest stage.

He bested more than 800 other participants from 52 countries to finish second in the 3x3x3 Cube, the main event of the 2019 World Cube Association (WCA) World Championship held in Melbourne, Australia.

He submitted an average of 6.78 seconds in the finals, just shy of the result posted by eventual world champion Philip Weyer of Germany, the 21-year-old 2016 European Champion, who finished with a 6.74-second winning average.

"He is very overwhelmed because he did not expect to podium. His goal is just to make finals," said Sean's mother Cez, who traveled with him to Australia.

"Support your kids in their passion but make sure that they balance with studies. Speedcubing actually helps kids to think logically and strategically and helps them build friendships."

Speedcubing is an activity in which the participant tries to solve a Rubik's Cube in the fastest possible time.

Villanueva became the first Filipino to finish in the podium of WCA's most prestigious category. Another Filipino, Durben Virtucio, came in second in the 4x4x4 Cube, a minor event, in the 2011 World Championship. — BM, GMA News