ʻAiea Liʻi ʻOkakopa 2025

The tables inside the ʻAiea Public Library stood ready on October 26, 2025, lined with mats, displays, and stopwatches as solving began under bright Hawaiian skies. A focused roster of 33 competitors arrived at ʻAiea Liʻi ʻOkakopa 2025, bringing an array of puzzles ranging from classic cubes to specialized gear. The single-day speedcubing meet promised a dense schedule of seven rounds across five disciplines, creating an intense environment where seasoned solvers looked to prove that experience remains the ultimate asset on the competitive circuit.

For veteran contenders seeking top honors at this cubing competition, the day became an exhibition of seasoned technique. Experienced speed cubing stalwarts Evan Liu and Travis Dumaran quickly established control across the schedule. Across every format, the competition rewarded those who have logged hundreds of solves under pressure, as the most established figures in ʻAiea, Hawaii, USA managed their solves with minimal errors and brisk turning speeds across both short sprints and endurance disciplines.

In the flagship 3x3x3 Cube, where 32 competitors pushed through two rounds of action, the final proved to be a masterclass in poise. Travis Dumaran captured the title with a winning average of 9.47 seconds, backed by a best single of 8.27 seconds. Enzo Xuan kept the pressure on until the final solve, taking second place with an average of 9.60 seconds, while Evan Liu locked up third on the podium with a 9.73 average. The closely contested 3x3 results underscored how tight margins remain at the top tier of the Rubik's Cube.

Dumaran added a second gold medal to his tally in the 2x2x2 Cube, delivering a composed winning average of 2.56 seconds alongside a best single of 2.54. Theo Masahiro Hirano followed closely behind in second place with an average of 2.63 seconds, while Jack Okazaki rounded out the podium in third with a 3.18 mark. Dumaran also showed remarkable speed during the earlier stages of the event, recording a blistering 1.65 single and a 2.44 average across the two rounds of 2x2x2 competition.

Meanwhile, Evan Liu engineered a sweep across the remaining three disciplines at ʻAiea Liʻi ʻOkakopa 2025, asserting total command in the specialty events. In Clock, Liu took first place with an average of 5.33 seconds, having posted a best single of 5.02, while Travis Dumaran earned second with a 7.25 average and Chris Martin took third with 7.86. Liu then demonstrated heavy-puzzle endurance in the 6x6x6 Cube, securing victory with a 1:42.82 average and a 1:37.37 single, ahead of Kolby K. Odo in second with 2:27.15 and David Lee in third with 2:48.89.

Liu capped his dominant day by tackling the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, where solvers rely entirely on memorization before donning a blindfold. Liu claimed the gold medal with a best single solve of 57.16 seconds, standing as the only competitor under the one-minute threshold. David Akamine earned the silver medal with a time of 1:08.96, while Matthew Dickman completed a successful solve in 1:58.79 to take the third spot on the podium in the single-round event.

Away from the top of the podium, several solvers delivered remarkable milestones across the weekend. Brayden Payes achieved major breakthroughs, dropping a personal best single in the 3x3x3 Cube to 38.69 seconds, which was 30.6 percent faster than their previous mark, alongside a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 12.59 seconds that improved by 22.6 percent. Nicholas Y. Kim also found substantial time on the main cube, logging a personal best of 26.94 seconds to beat their old benchmark by 27.4 percent. Konan Suyat took on two events and set a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 3.01 seconds, a 24.9 percent improvement, while Ethan Rubin marked a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 21.20 seconds, trimming 19.6 percent off their previous best.

The tournament also featured impressive new ventures into unfamiliar territory. Preston Chambers tackled three events, making their first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a time of 2:50.57 on the way to a 4th place finish, while also securing a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 10.26 seconds that was 23.9 percent faster. Anthony Carrillo entered four events and finished 4th in the 6x6x6 Cube with a personal best of 2:34.16, improving by 7.5 percent. Luke Maas took on four events in their first WCA competition, recording a 6th place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded and logging a 21.37 in 3x3x3, a 5.32 in 2x2x2, and a 23.41 in Clock. Erin Nojima also completed their first WCA competition, marking first attempts of 8.72 in 2x2x2 and 25.59 in the 3x3x3 Cube.

When the final round concluded, United States competitors had captured all 15 available podium positions across the five events. The balanced schedule showed the depth of the local scene, with both sprint specialists and big-cube strategists finding success on the library floor. As equipment was packed away, ʻAiea Liʻi ʻOkakopa 2025 closed out an eventful chapter in Hawaiian cubing, setting a strong baseline of marks and milestones as competitors look ahead toward the next competitive season.