He really knows how to multitask.
A German YouTuber solved a Rubik’s Cube in freefall — cracking the puzzle in a mind-boggling 23.333 seconds while hurtling toward Earth to shatter the Guinness World Record.
Tom Kopke set the record for the fastest time to solve a rotating puzzle cube during a skydive, beating the previous mark while most people can barely solve one on solid ground.
The 23-year-old medical student accomplished the impressive feat in February, while falling 100 mph in Mossel Bay, South Africa.
“I first solved the Rubik’s Cube when I was 18 and practiced a lot back then. I even made a video attempting some crazy Rubik’s Cube challenges, where I also said that one day I would solve it while skydiving,” he told the record book in an interview published this week.
“At the time, I didn’t have the money or the time to get my skydiving license, so I never followed through.”
He dethroned the previous record holder, Sam Sieracki of Australia, who accomplished it in 28.250 seconds in 2023.
Kopke, who tied the Guinness World Records title for solving six Rubik’s Cubes underwater, has also completed the puzzle while blindfolded.
Without any challenges, he has solved it in as little as nine seconds.
When Kopke, who is shockingly new to skydiving, began practicing for the record, he tried Sieracki’s method of solving it stomach down in the arch position while midair.
However, he abandoned that strategy due to wind resistance.
His skydiving instructor suggested he try to do the puzzle while back-flying.
“That is obviously way scarier because you can’t see the ground coming closer, and it also takes a lot more practice. But it reduces wind resistance significantly,” he told the outlet.
“At the beginning it was a complete disaster, especially because I lack experience, remember I only started skydiving a few weeks ago … But with a few days of practice and the help of my instructors we eventually got it down.”
His main concern was dropping the Rubix Cube.
“I [was worried] in the beginning yes, but I practiced a lot with the cube in the air so I got used to it. The most dangerous part is actually the handover, kind of like in track and field where a lot of mistakes happen during the baton exchange,” he explained.
His next goal is to solve the puzzle while running a marathon.