Purugganans sweep World stacking tilt

MANILA, Philippines - World champion Steven Purugganan broke three world records and defended his titles at the 2009 World Sport Stacking Championships held over the weekend in Denver, Colorado.

The eleven-year-old Filipino reset the mark in the 3-6-3 event to 2.15 seconds, broke the doubles time with eldest brother Andrew which now stands at 7.58 seconds, and led Team USA to the relay title, taking back the world record from perennial rival Germany.

“This is the first time in the sport’s history that one individual holds all five world records in the sport,” said Vicki Purugganan, Steven’s mother. “We are so proud of the boys.”

At a US regional meet in January, the youngest Purugganan shattered the world record in the cycle event, becoming the first – and so far, only – player in sport stacking history to break the six-second barrier.

Andrew Purugganan and middle brother Brian also performed well in the world championships, placing in the top five in their age divisions in each event. In the individual cycle event, Andrew placed third overall, behind champion Steven.

As a result of his phenomenal performance and a feature in the current US edition of Time magazine, Steven was invited to appear on an upcoming episode of the Ellen Degeneres Show, the program which launched Filipino singing sensation Charice Pempengco to international stardom.