Yes! You read that right. This kid is a genius – Leo Borromeo, a 12-year-old kid from Cebu can easily sort out and unscramble a Rubik’s cube in less than 10 seconds. He is currently no. 1 in Asia and no. 7 in the world. Oh, the goosebumps! The boy has been competing in Speedcubing since 2015, he was only seven.
We all know how the modern world has been dominated by technology and children are more often than not, all about their tablets and computers. It’s refreshing to see kids who find other ways to entertain themselves, like play sports or other physical or mind honing activities, and Leo is one of those kids.
Although he’s like any other typical tween, except maybe that he enjoys the subjects Math, English, and football. Leo has a distinct talent that makes him notable — he is the fastest person to solve a puzzle cube in the Philippines. It’s amazing and jaw-dropping how this young man can unscramble a puzzle cube in only 6 to 7 seconds. By the time you finished reading this sentence, Leo could have already solved the cube.
According to the kid’s mom, Ms. Sheryl Borromeo, it all started in 2014 when she bought Leo his first Rubik’s cube. He was then only seven years old. When she saw how he was good at assembling Legos, she thought to buy him a Rubik’s cube as well.
Leo has always had a thirst for knowledge, he was able to solve the puzzle in less than two minutes after researching and watching videos on Youtube. His persistence is such a great trait and a valuable skill many kids ought to have today. Especially with knowledge and information being easily accessible today.
Rubik’s cube was invented in the ‘70s and has become popular in recent years as more and more people got really interested and enthusiastic about solving the puzzle as quickly as possible. Experts have said it’s a great toy to give children – since it encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
In 2015, this paved the way for Leo to be exposed to the world of Speedcubing. He met JB Cañares, an officer of the Philippine Cubers Association, the first speedcubing organization in the country. Speedcubing also is known as speedsolving – is a sport or hobby that involves solving a puzzle cube as quickly as possible.
Also in 2015, Leo was then invited to compete at the Cebu Open and he was able to solve a 3x3x3 cube in 30.47 seconds. And evidently, he got so much better from that time record.
Leo has joined about 20 local and international competitions – and has copped 10 gold, 15 silver, and 3 bronze medals. He’s the first Filipino to record a sub 6 in a competition – 5.96 in 2017. His single best time for solving a puzzle cube is 5.12 seconds.
To see more of Leo’s achievements and progress, follow his page on Facebook – Leo Borromeo – Speedcuber
