Saul Hafting set a Guinness World Record at 16 for solving 211 Rubik’s Cubes on a pogo stick, and he says he remains unchallenged five years later.
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Saul Hafting, a Nova Scotia speedcuber who was 16 when he set a Guinness World Record, says his title for the most Rubik’s Cubes solved while on a pogo stick has endured longer than expected.
According to the Guinness World Records 2027 edition, Hafting still holds the record at 211 cubes, a mark he set in 2021 when he had just barely finished high school.
Hafting, now 21, says he was encouraged to pursue a Guinness application after watching Chinese speedcuber Xia Yan earn a title for the fastest time to solve one Rubik’s Cube on a pogo stick in 9.613 seconds.
Rather than attempting to beat the “fastest” category directly, Hafting focused on a different measure: he said the idea was essentially to set the world record for the most cubes rather than the quickest single solve.
Growing up in Annapolis Royal, a small community of about 530 people in Nova Scotia, Hafting began speedcubing at age 11, treating the puzzle habit as an ongoing source of entertainment as he developed his skills.
While holding a Guinness World Record can carry public attention, Hafting says there is no monetary prize attached to the title, and that the record’s certificate is the main physical item associated with the achievement.
He is currently studying computer science at Dalhousie University and says his long-term goal is to find work in cybersecurity, framing his record as something that may be relevant in a professional context even if he doesn’t actively advertise it.
Hafting said that employers searching his name online are likely to encounter the accomplishment, and that it can help provide a conversation starter in icebreaker situations where people are asked for a fun fact.
He also noted he has been surprised that no one has overtaken him yet, saying the record has lasted longer than he anticipated and that it has remained in place even after five years.
Beyond his own result, Hafting said Canadians can apply for existing Guinness categories or create a new one, arguing that there are many different records still unclaimed and that people’s varied interests can align with a niche where they can excel.
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