Ethan Cho sets 7x7 world record average at Naperville Mini III 2026

Ethan Cho’s 1:54.73 average on 7x7 at Naperville Mini III 2026 landed in the live WCA record log as WR20, turning a round in Northern Illinois University’s Ballroom into a marker for the current elite tier. The meet was supported by the Midwest Cubing Association, and Cho, listed on the World Cube Association as 2018CHOE02, has already built a broad official résumé across 13 states.

That travel footprint matters because 7x7 is one of the largest official WCA events, where consistency across a long average carries more weight than a single fast solve. Cho’s current personal records are tracked on both his WCA person page and his Cubing China profile, and this result adds another top-line mark to a profile that already points to regular high-level competition.

The timing also matters. Cho’s average arrived during a strong North American week for big-cube results, with the Rubik’s WCA North American Championship 2026 producing a WCA video titled “A Race for 3rd” for the 7x7 final and Max Park setting a 7x7 world record single of 1:30.59. Put together, those results show a field where the front end is still moving and the battle for the next tier is just as intense.

Cho had already hinted at that level in the same period. In an Instagram post from North American Championships 2026, he wrote that he was “pretty sad about losing 7x7 podium to popping during PLL still,” a line that makes the new average easy to place in context. At this level, one late mistake can separate a podium run from a near miss, and a 1:54.73 average at Naperville suggests Cho remains right in the middle of that fight.