Australian Nationals 2025

Across 37 grueling rounds at the Nissan Arena, 358 competitors pushed physical and mental endurance to the limit at Australian Nationals 2025. Held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from October 2 to October 5, 2025, the tournament brought together elite talent across 16 different disciplines. While short sprints often draw casual interest, the true test of consistency emerged in the big cubes. Managing the vast layer counts of 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7 requires sustained finger stamina and relentless concentration, turning every solve into an exhaustive tactical marathon.

The heavy cubes became an intense international duel between American standout Kate Grahame and Indonesian powerhouse Firstian Fushada. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Grahame seized the championship with a winning average of 44.60 seconds, accompanied by a sharp best single of 39.13 seconds. Ping-Yueh Huang of Taiwan secured second place averaging 45.96 seconds, while Fushada rounded out the podium in third at 48.00 seconds. The extended solve times demanded flawless execution across every stage of reduction and parity control.

Fushada struck back with remarkable force in the 6x6x6 Cube final. Tackling the complex centers and edge pairs, he captured the title with an average of 1:21.93 and a top single of 1:19.00. Grahame placed second with an average of 1:23.63, while Huang earned third place at 1:29.40. Fushada also showed his versatility by collecting gold in Square-1 with an 8.69 average and winning 4x4x4 Cube averaging 23.59, ahead of China's Yibo Wang and Australia's Riley Dexter.

The longest standard event of the weekend brought another dramatic chapter in the 7x7x7 Cube. Over two rounds of intense speed cubing, Kate Grahame secured her second major victory, taking first place with an average of 2:01.55 and a best single of 1:56.68. Firstian Fushada finished runner-up with an average of 2:09.78, narrowly holding off Australian finalist Hayden Ng, who recorded an average of 2:10.33. The sheer endurance needed to maintain turning precision across dozens of inner layers highlighted the physical demands of big-cube solving.

Away from the main stage podiums, the heart of this cubing competition beat through personal milestones and breakthrough attempts. Jett Bowden delivered one of the steepest progressions of the tournament, taking his 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 4.11 seconds, which was 69.5 percent faster than his prior mark of 13.49, while also registering his first Pyraminx attempt at 21.16. Ariki Achterberg showed massive strides on Skewb with a personal best of 9.97 seconds, improving by 67.4 percent from 30.56, while simultaneously cutting his 2x2x2 mark to 4.86 seconds. Ned Power made a huge leap in 2x2x2 Cube with a personal best of 6.21 seconds, a 55 percent drop from 13.81, alongside first-time attempts in Pyraminx at 12.46 and Skewb at 14.31. Jonty Gosper tackled three events, posting an initial 3x3x3 solve of 29.53 and an initial 2x2x2 solve of 11.71, while slashing his Pyraminx record by 47.9 percent to 10.42.

The momentum continued across every section of the competitor ranks at Australian Nationals 2025. Archie Atkins entered six events, logging his first Pyraminx solve at 6.90 seconds and cutting his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 48.4 percent to 35.95 seconds. Abdullah Waqas took on seven events, recording a 9.49 in his first official Skewb attempt while shaving 39.4 percent off his 2x2x2 personal best to reach 2.52 seconds. John Watt chopped 41 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube best to reach 1:39.37 and recorded a first Skewb attempt of 10.08. Fern Moloney took on four events, setting a 3x3x3 personal best of 32.38 seconds that was 34.6 percent faster than before, while posting debut marks of 10.99 in Skewb and 28.15 in Pyraminx.

In the classic Rubik's Cube, Australian legend Feliks Zemdegs proved his lasting mastery over four packed rounds featuring 348 competitors. The 3x3 results came down to hundredths of a second, with Zemdegs claiming victory on a 5.90 average against Riley Dexter, who finished second with a 5.92 average. Toby Seufert placed third at 6.44. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Elijah La Porte took the gold with an average of 9.49 seconds, besting New Zealand's Chris Mills and China's Yibo Wang.

The side events and blindfolded formats added further variety to the WCA competition schedule. Charlie Eggins captured the 3x3x3 Blindfolded crown with a lightning single of 14.82 seconds. In the larger memory disciplines, Michael Tripodi achieved a double sweep by winning 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 1:30.90 and 5x5x5 Blindfolded in 3:10.28, while Felix Williams solved 38 out of 45 cubes in 56:44 to claim the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind title. Phoenix Patterson won 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.39 average, Sebastian Lee took Pyraminx in 1.94, Max Parris won Skewb averaging 1.84, Jamie Otsu won Megaminx averaging 36.26, and Kyle Jones secured Clock with a 2.75 average.

The final medal tally reflected broad global participation alongside local dominance, with Australian competitors collecting 28 podium finishes, Indonesia earning 7, Taiwan securing 4, and USA, China, and New Zealand taking 3 apiece. From the sprint formats to the exhausting big-cube showdowns, Australian Nationals 2025 highlighted the deep resilience required across modern speedcubing, setting a formidable standard for the seasons ahead.