Mats Valk
| Mats Valk | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
4 May 1996 Amstelveen |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Student |
| Years active | 2007-present |
| Known for | Rubik's Cube speedsolver |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Netherlands
|
||
| Speedcubing | ||
| World Championship | ||
 |
2015, São Paulo, Brazil | 3x3 |
|
2013, Las Vegas, NV | 3x3 |
 |
2013, Las Vegas, NV | 4x4 |
|
2011, Bangkok, Thailand | 4x4 |
|
2013, Las Vegas, NV | 2x2 |
|
2011, Bangkok, Thailand | Square-1 |
| European Championship | ||
|
2016, Prague, Czech Republic | 3x3 |
|
2012, Warsaw, Poland | 3x3 |
|
2016, Prague, Czech Republic | 4x4 |
|
2014, Roskilde, Danmark | 4x4 |
 |
2012, Warsaw, Poland | 4x4 |
|
2010, Budapest, Hungary | 3x3 OH |
|
2014, Roskilde, Danmark | 6x6 |
|
2012, Warsaw, Poland | 2x2 |
|
2010, Budapest, Hungary | 2x2 |
|
2012, Warsaw, Poland | Square-1 |
|
2010, Budapest, Hungary | Square-1 |
Mats Valk (born 4 May 1996) is a Dutch Rubik's Cube speedsolver. He broke the Rubik's cube single solve world record twice with times of 5.55 seconds in 2013 and 4.74 seconds in 2016. He was runner-up for 3x3x3 at the Rubik's cube world championships in 2013 and 2015. Valk is currently ranked 5th in the world for 3x3x3 average, and has been ranked as high as 2nd.
Mats Valk is most famous for breaking the Rubik's cube world record twice and being the runner-up at both the Rubik's cube world championships of 2013 and 2015. He first broke the world record with a time of 5.55 seconds at the Zonhoven open 2013 in Belgium on 3 March 2013. This record stood for over 2 years. He later broke the world record again with a time of 4.74 seconds at the Jawa Timur open 2016 in Indonesia on 6 November 2016. This solve is currently the 2nd fastest official single, just 0.01 seconds slower than the world record. Valk has also set three 4x4x4 world records, two for single solve and one for average of 5. His second single world record, 26.77 seconds on 15 April 2012, was the first official 4x4x4 solve under 30 seconds. Altogether, Valk has broken 5 WCA world records, 17 European records, and 94 Dutch national records. Valk also currently holds the world record for solving the most Rubik's cubes in 1 hour, 374 cubes, set in Paris on 21 October 2015.
Valk is also known as a creator of the VLS (Valk Last Slot) 3x3x3 algorithm set, which correctly orients the last layer while inserting the last corner-edge pair of the first two layers. Valk used one of these algorithms as to complete the cube in his 2016 3x3x3 world record.
Valk typically solves the 3x3x3 beginning with the green or blue face, unlike most speedcubers. This may be a result of his being colourblind.
Valk was born and raised in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, a suburb of the Dutch capital Amsterdam. Mats is in his last year of his bachelor's degree Business Analytics at the Free University of Amsterdam. In 2016, he was on a semester exchange at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
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