Australian Nationals 2024

At Loreto College in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, the tables were filled with an immense variety of twisting puzzles. From July 12 to 14 in 2024, competitors faced everything from standard cubes to intricate polyhedrons, requiring diverse skills spanning fast finger turning to sheer memorisation. The weekend showcased sixteen distinct events, drawing three hundred twenty-four entrants to the venue for a massive festival of solving. Puzzles of all shapes and sizes clicked and turned simultaneously, proving that a major cubing competition requires versatility and stamina across a packed schedule.

The sheer breadth of events at Australian Nationals 2024 meant there was a challenge for every type of solver. Beyond the classic Rubik's Cube, competitors tackled one-handed solving, massive multi-layered cubes, and shape-shifting puzzles like the Square-1. Speedcubing is not just about the standard three-by-three event, and the schedule here demanded mastery over pyramids, dodecahedrons, and clock dials. Thirty-eight rounds of competition were contested across the weekend, testing the endurance of those who entered double-digit numbers of events.

In the flagship event, Yiheng Wang (王艺衡) took the victory with a winning average of 5.08 seconds, backed by a best single of 4.33 seconds in a massive field of three hundred sixteen competitors. David Epstein secured second place with an average of 6.81 seconds, while Riley Dexter finished third with a 6.84-second average. The 3x3 results demonstrated the extraordinary speed at the top of the leaderboard, with competitors pushing the limits of human reaction time and look-ahead capabilities.

The blindfolded events highlighted the extreme memorisation skills required in modern speed cubing. Charlie Eggins dominated this category, winning the standard three-by-three blindfolded event with an average of 16.40 seconds and a single of 14.72 seconds. Eggins also secured victories in the four-by-four blindfolded with a single of 2:50.06 and the five-by-five blindfolded with an 8:04.52 single. Michael Tripodi won the multi-blind event, successfully solving thirty-four out of forty-six cubes in a time of 57:21.

Alexander Vujcich had a stellar weekend across the larger cubes, claiming victories in multiple events. Vujcich won the four-by-four cube with a 25.90-second average, the five-by-five cube with a 48.30-second average, and the Megaminx with a 30.37-second average. Anyu Zhang (张安宇) took the top spots in the massive six-by-six and seven-by-seven cubes, with averages of 1:20.99 and 1:56.03 respectively. In the one-handed event, Riley Dexter took first place with a 9.93-second average.

Away from the main podiums, many competitors used this WCA competition to test themselves in completely new events and shatter their previous times. Dylan Fletcher entered ten different events, making their first ever attempts at the four-by-four cube, five-by-five cube, and Square-1, finishing the latter in 34.25 seconds, while also placing tenth in Clock. Sonny Hayman secured a massive personal best in the two-by-two cube, finishing in 1.53 seconds which was 65.1 percent faster than their previous best, and completed their first ever attempt at one-handed solving. Ellmma Fry slashed their two-by-two personal best by 63.9 percent down to 3.32 seconds and completed their first Skewb attempt in 11.14 seconds. Caden Ng took on eleven events, finishing sixth in the five-by-five cube and securing a Square-1 personal best of 7.32 seconds, a 50.6 percent improvement.

The personal milestones continued throughout the massive venue as competitors embraced the variety of puzzles on offer. Cheung Cheuk Hei (張綽晞) tackled four events, making their first ever attempts at Pyraminx and Skewb, while improving their two-by-two personal best by 41.1 percent to 6.06 seconds. Terence Wang entered eight events, notably recording first ever attempts in Megaminx and one-handed solving, and slicing 45.2 percent off their two-by-two personal best to reach 2.07 seconds. Ryan Deng improved their four-by-four personal best by 37.8 percent to 1:22.30 and completed their first ever attempts at Pyraminx and Megaminx. Oscar Hirsch entered six events, securing a four-by-four personal best of 1:14.45, a 36.9 percent improvement, while making their first attempts at one-handed and Skewb solving.

Phoenix Patterson dominated the two-by-two cube, setting a series of records and claiming the win with an average of 1.42 seconds and a best single of 1.03 seconds. Sebastian Lee took the Pyraminx title with an average of 1.70 seconds, while Max Parris won Skewb with a 2.68-second average. Benjamin Warry claimed the Square-1 victory with an average of 7.33 seconds, and Lachlan Adams-Romyn won the Clock event with a 3.20-second average. The sheer number of events won by different competitors highlighted the varied skill sets present.

Australian Nationals 2024 concluded with Australia claiming thirty-five podium places, China taking seven, and New Zealand securing six. With two hundred eighty competitors in the two-by-two cube and over two hundred in the four-by-four, the depth of the field was evident across the board. The weekend proved that competitive solving is about far more than a single puzzle, rewarding those who dedicate time to mastering the full spectrum of events.

As the final timers were stopped and the last results verified, the scale of Australian Nationals 2024 was clear. From record-setting two-by-two performances to marathon multi-blind sessions, the three-day festival tested every facet of solver ability. Competitors packed up their vast collections of cubes, pyramids, and dials, having participated in one of the most comprehensive showcases of varied solving talent seen this season.