In the halls of the Two Buffalo Cube Days 2026 tournament in West Seneca, New York, among the clanking of rotating pieces and the agility of the youngest competitors, a nonagenarian wrote the history of this discipline. At the age of 95, Frank Ziemenski has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest competitive speedcuber ever, having achieved the record just nine days after celebrating his ninety-fifth birthday on January 9, 2026.
The love for the famous geometric puzzle was born way back in 1980, just six years after its invention, when a very young Frank Ziemenski was intrigued by the mechanical functioning of the object and decided to study manuals and do-it-yourself guides to discover its secrets. That initial curiosity turned into a decade-long passion cultivated independently, based on notes and spreadsheets annotated by hand over the decades.
@Guinness World Records
Training with young talents at the Buffalo Speed Cube Club
The leap towards the official competitive dimension occurred at an advanced age, when Frank decided to join the Buffalo Speed Cube Club, a group active at the Orchard Park library. At the first training sessions, the presence of the elderly man among teenagers aged between eight and sixteen had misled those present, believing that he was a parent or companion.
The ice quickly melted when the veteran shared his historical notes dating back to the 1980s, openly confronting the kids. Like Ziemenski himself, his intent was to discover modern methods used by new generations. Before taking to the field, the declared objective was to finish the test under the six minute mark.
The official records and the triumph at the New York tournament
During the January 18, 2026 competition, described by his daughters as their father’s “Super Bowl,” Frank Ziemenski successfully completed three official attempts in the 3x3x3 and 2x2x2 categories. In the main test with the 3x3x3 cube, the athlete stopped the clock at 5 minutes, 49 seconds and 75 hundredths, achieving the set goal. In the 2x2x2 category, however, he achieved an individual record of 1 minute, 17 seconds and 3 hundredths, accompanied by an overall average of 2 minutes, 26 seconds and 27 hundredths.
Those performances earned him three unofficial titles in the World Cube Association’s over-90 category. Excited by the result obtained despite being hesitant to participate, the new record holder wanted to send a clear motivational message to everyone, confirming his intention to continue competing as long as his physical conditions allow him:
I want people to know that no matter what age you are, be persistent and you will never give up.
