Belfast Summer 2024

Daniel Rush delivered a masterclass at the Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, capturing the premier 3x3x3 Cube title with a winning average of 6.83 seconds to headline an intense regional duel. The South African standout edged Ireland standout Ciarán Beahan, who posted a 7.63 average in the finals, while Macau competitor Max Kwok U Sam secured third place with 9.65. Across two days of high-stakes speedcubing from June 15 to June 16, the tournament turned into an electric contest between traveling British challengers and a formidable domestic contingent.

The 2024 gathering in Belfast, County Antrim, United Kingdom saw 107 competitors line up across 10 distinct events, completing 18 full rounds of competition. Belfast Summer 2024 offered a classic battleground for regional supremacy, with Irish competitors claiming 11 podium finishes while United Kingdom representatives secured nine. South Africa also made a major mark with five podiums, demonstrating how a local speed cubing rivalry can attract world-class talent to Northern Ireland.

While Rush claimed the traditional Rubik's Cube crown, Beahan mounted a massive multi-discipline assault that earned Ireland three separate gold trophies. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Beahan dominated the 67-competitor field with an average of 26.74 seconds and a single of 25.32, holding off Rush who took second in 32.89. Beahan then doubled his tally in the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a winning mark of 41.55 seconds against Rush's 51.04, with Max Kwok U Sam earning bronze at 1:00.75.

Beahan extended his dominant run into the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, securing his third victory with a 11.75 winning average and a single of 9.40. Max Kwok U Sam took second place in 15.97, while Miłosz Andzel earned third for Ireland with 16.71. The 3x3 results across the weekend demonstrated immense depth, but the home nation's top competitor ensured Ireland held the upper hand in the longer and more technically demanding formats.

The United Kingdom answered back in the sprint disciplines, seizing momentum in the 2x2x2 Cube where Max Tully captured first place with an impressive 1.59 average. Rush placed second in 2.52, while Ireland's Lucas Patrick Dowling rounded out the podium at 2.72. The short-format dominance continued in Pyraminx, as Edward Burgess claimed victory for the United Kingdom with a 2.13 average ahead of Malaysia's Tan Jun at 3.21 and Tiernan McCorry at 3.95.

Beyond the championship battles, Belfast Summer 2024 served as a breakthrough stage for competitors chasing significant personal milestones. Caleb Joshua Thomas slashed his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best to 26.34 seconds, improving by 55.1 percent over his previous mark of 58.69, while also notching a personal best of 4.62 in Skewb and taking on Clock for the first time with an 11.42. Oscar Ings cut his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 53.4 percent down to 7.34 seconds, while also recording his first attempts in Pyraminx at 9.44 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:08.40. Hugo Feng Yang made a 51.8 percent leap in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 27.99 personal best, and logged first attempts in Skewb at 8.17 and Clock at 11.50.

The surge of new event milestones continued through Patrick Owens, who posted a 10.63 in Skewb to go 46.7 percent faster than before, while taking on 4x4x4 Cube for the first time with 1:52.25. Benny King chopped 46.2 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube best to reach 1:17.36, and made first attempts at Skewb in 15.51 and 2x2x2 Cube in 3.83. Calum McMonagle logged a 1:10.39 personal best in 4x4x4 Cube, improving by 41.7 percent, alongside first attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 4.34 and Clock at 32.77. Noah Duffy improved his Pyraminx best by 41.4 percent to 9.45 seconds and tackled the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time at 3:03.70, while Frederick Schachner made a 30.6 percent jump to 3.81 in 2x2x2 Cube.

Specialist disciplines rounded out the program at this WCA competition, highlighting tactical skill across distinct formats. In Clock, Adam Devere took the title for the United Kingdom with a 5.50 average over Rory Menary's 6.08 and Adam Stringer's 6.10. Mengfei Shen secured victory for China in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, posting the best single solve of the event at 28.64 seconds to lead Devere at 36.44 and Simon Kelly at 39.50. Harry Owen captured the Skewb title with a 3.41 average, and Rush won Square-1 with an 11.89 mark.

The packed schedule proved why this cubing competition stood out on the calendar, concluding with memorable head-to-head moments across all 18 rounds. With Ireland and the United Kingdom sharing the major podium honours, Belfast Summer 2024 highlighted the growing intensity of regional speedcubing and set a high competitive standard for the rest of the year.