Young California man with severe autism beats Rubik’s Cube world record: ‘A natural skill’
Schwan Park, father of speed cuber Max Park, 21, tells Fox News Digital the story of his son’s record-breaking achievement with Rubik's Cube: "We always knew he was good," he said.
A young man from Cerritos, California, has beaten the world record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube.
Max Park, 21, unscrambled a 3x3x3 cube in just 3.13 seconds at a World Cube Association event in Long Beach, California, on June 11.
Park has been competing in Rubik’s competitions since he was 10 years old — and has defied the odds as a fierce competitor who also has severe autism.
MAX PARK SOLVES RUBIK'S CUBE IN 3 SECONDS, SETTING NEW WORLD RECORD
Park’s father, Schwan Park, commended his son’s record-breaking accomplishment and shared the young man's story with Fox News Digital.
"We didn't realize how good he was," Park's father said, referencing the earlier years.
Max Park was diagnosed with severe autism at 2 years old. He achieved the world record for the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube on June 11, 2023. (Schwan Park)
Park was diagnosed with autism at just 2 years old, his father said, and as a small child, he "always had issues" with finger strength.
When her son was 9 years old, Miki Park, Max's mom, introduced him to the Rubik’s Cube, which she believed might improve her son’s fine motor skills.
Park took to the puzzle immediately, his father shared, picking up the method "really quickly. He just seemed to have a natural skill for this, to learn really quickly how to solve the cube and understand what Miki was teaching him."
"We were always looking for opportunities to have Max learn social skills."
The boy's natural talent blossomed, as did his social skills, as he began entering cubing competitions, his father said.
"We were always looking for opportunities to have Max learn social skills and … the things that most kids learn naturally," the elder Park explained. "And when we went [to the competitions], we immediately realized how Max lit up."
Max Park of California won the 2017 World Rubik’s Cube Championship and the 2021 Red Bull Rubik's Cube World Cup. "The best environment is one where he's excited to be," said his father, Schwan Park. (Schwan Park)
"He found his tribe of people. He was communicating, and he was excited," he continued.
"We hit a gold mine, because [when] teaching social skills to a child who's on the spectrum, the best environment is one where he's excited to be."
"He found his tribe of people. He was communicating."
Park has since made a name for himself in the cubing community after winning both the World Rubik’s Cube Championship in 2017 and the Red Bull Rubik's Cube World Cup in 2021.
The young competitor was also featured in the 2020 Netflix documentary, "The Speed Cubers."
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When it came to breaking the world record, Park's father reiterated his faith in his son's ability to get the job done.
"We always knew he was good," he said. Yet to win the world record, "you also need a little bit of luck," he said.
Schwan Park said that his son's achievement of beating the world cubing record required "a little bit of luck," too. (Getty Images)
"When it happened, it wasn't a total surprise, but it was still very surprising."
Park's father said the family felt "exuberance in our hearts" when the clock stopped and they saw their son's time.
"We were ecstatic for him," he said. "There are so many times that he makes us proud in how much he has developed."
Park's father said the public has been "amazed" by his son’s ability to solve the Rubik’s Cube so quickly, since speed cubing isn’t a highly followed hobby.
"It blows their mind," he said. "They're just astounded, I think, to the point that some people thought it was fake."
Even the elder Park admitted that he and his wife only know how to solve a Rubik’s Cube in the most "rudimentary way."
"When we went [to the competitions], we immediately realized how Max lit up."
Park will be attending CubingUSA Nationals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the end of July — and then will take off for Rubik's WCA World Championship in South Korea a few weeks later.
"[Max] loves to travel and visit other places," his father said. "That's something that he really, really loves and cherishes about cubing, as well as meeting friends who are cubers from many different countries."
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As the parent of an autistic child, Schwan Park expressed how difficult it can be — but he encouraged other parents of children who are autistic to identify a passion for their kids.
"It's such a grind to keep your head up and your hopes high," he said. "Something that my wife, Miki, has taught me is [to] be open to trying a lot of things, because you just don't know what's going to stick."
The Park family (left to right) — Schwan Park, Jason Park, Max Park and Miki Park — of Cerritos, California. "We were fortunate enough to be able to find something for Max that stuck, and that he could flourish with," dad Schwan Park told Fox News Digital. (Schwan Park)
"I'm so fortunate to have my wife leading the way on this because she's so optimistic … and we were fortunate enough to be able to find something for Max that stuck, and that he could flourish with."
Park's father gave kudos to the World Cubing Association (WCA), headquartered in Los Angeles, for making it "all possible" and for continuing to "do so much great work for the cubing community."
WCA is a nonprofit organization primarily made up of young adults and kids, he explained.
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"If you ever go to one of these competitions, you'd be shocked at how well it's run and how deftly it's executed and the integrity of the whole organization," he said.
"I think adults should take a lesson from them."
