Rubik’s Cube European Championship 2016: Germany’s Phillip Weyer Wins With 7.88 Seconds Average

Europe has a new speedcubing champion, Germany’s Phillip Weyer. Weyer solved a Rubik's cube puzzle in an average time of 7.88 seconds in the Rubik’s Cube European Championship 2016.

The 2016 Championship held in Prague, Czech Republic, is the seventh Rubik's Cube European Championship. It had 18 categories, including the main category of the classic 3x3 cube, solving the cube blindfolded or only using the feet.

Weyer told Reuters that it took years of hard work to get to the top. “Practice, practice, practice,” he said, “You don’t get fast very fast so you have to practice a lot to [get] serious results. That’s the only advice I can give.”

People belonging to all nationalities can participate in the event but only Europeans are awarded prizes. Technically, Weyer came second to world champion and Australian Feliks Zemdegs who clocked in an average time of 7.07 seconds but given the rule, Zemdegs did not take home the spoils.

The annual event, which reportedly attracted over 500 participants, rewards a maximum prize money of 1,000 euros (about $1,100).

According to his profile on the World Cube Association’s website, Weyyer had participated in 38 competitions so far, winning the German Open, the Frankfurt Cube Days and the Cubelonia, all in 2016. He came second in the 2014 Rubik’s Cube European Championship losing the top spot to United Kingdom’s Alexander Lau. He also stood fifth in the World Championship in 2013.