Yared Nuguse: Meet the US track champion who solves the Rubik's Cube under 40 seconds

The Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian architect Ernõ Rubik, and very few people in the world can solve it. But not Yared Nuguse, who does it in under 40 seconds. 

Born to Ethiopian parents, Nuguse is an American middle-distance runner specializing in the 1500m and is the North American outdoor and indoor record holder in the 1500 meters, one mile, and 3000 meters.

He won the US 1500m title this year and by so doing qualified for the World Championships in Budapest, where he finished fifth in the events final.

Aside from being one of the best middle-distance runners in American history, Nuguse is regarded as a genius off-track. The 24-year-old planned on becoming an orthodontist but graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry and is currently pursuing a master's degree in management at the university.

In an interview with CitiusMag, he revealed how he solves the Rubik's Cube in record-breaking times.

"The quickest I ever solved it was like 26 seconds, but nowadays a good time for me is like under 40 because I haven't practiced as much as I should have," he said.

At the World Championships in Budapest, each athlete was given a Rubik's Cube as a souvenir, being the birthplace of the inventor. Nuguse shared how most people in the athlete's village were surprised he could solve it much less in a fast time.

"The Rubik's Cube was like a game hobby of mine back in the day...No other athlete knows how to solve a Rubik's Cube, much less in decent time," Nuguse joked in a confident way.

Nuguse is one of the best young talents in the men's 1500m, and will be gunning to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.