Benoni May Madness 2026

Six different events and eight packed rounds filled the tables as Benoni May Madness 2026 got underway at Actonville Primary School on May 17, 2026. Across a compact schedule, thirty competitors gathered in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa, demonstrating the full breadth of the modern cubing discipline. Rather than spotlighting a single format, the day gave equal weight to standard twisty puzzles, geometric side events, and complex memory challenges. The varied slate pushed competitors to shift gears constantly, transitioning from lightning-fast sprints on smaller mechanisms to deeply deliberate blindfolded solves.

The traditional 3x3x3 Cube showcased high-level precision across two competitive rounds featuring 28 solvers. Juandré Jacobs claimed the overall title with a winning average of 8.16 seconds, complemented by the best single time of the tournament at 7.20 seconds. Amahle Nyembe secured second place with an average of 8.40 seconds, while Isaac Scheepers rounded out the podium in third place at 8.77 seconds. These tight 3x3 results demonstrated how small errors can alter the standings when margins at the top are separated by fractions of a second.

Juandré Jacobs doubled his gold medal tally by dominating the 2x2x2 Cube, an event that drew 28 participants across two rounds. Delivering a winning average of 3.38 seconds along with a round-leading single of 2.78 seconds, Jacobs set the benchmark for high-speed execution. Isaac Scheepers took the second-place spot on the podium with a 3.74 average, while Amahle Nyembe earned third place with a mark of 3.88 seconds. The compact puzzle offered no margin for hesitation, requiring competitors to plan entire solves during the inspection period.

The versatility of the field was equally evident in the non-cubic formats, where alternative geometric mechanisms tested different finger movements and spatial reasoning. In the Pyraminx event, Lethabo Moeti topped a field of 21 competitors with a winning average of 3.37 seconds and a best single solve of 2.92 seconds. Isaac Scheepers followed in second place at 5.83 seconds, with James Ford taking third at 6.67 seconds. Meanwhile, the Skewb brought 15 competitors to the tables, where Kagoentle Mokhabela won the title with a 5.85 average and a 4.53 single, finishing ahead of Isaac Scheepers at 7.39 and Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim at 7.76.

Blindfolded events introduced an entirely different dimension to the cubing competition, demanding total memorisation before attempting to solve without sight. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, Marike Faught secured first place with an average of 40.39 seconds and a standout single time of 34.59 seconds. Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim took second place with a single of 35.80 seconds, while Isaac Scheepers finished third. Faught also conquered the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, posting a winning single solve of 4:53.82 as the only competitor to record a successful time among three contenders.

Beneath the podium finishes, Benoni May Madness 2026 produced remarkable personal milestones across every tier of the lineup. Bruce Engelbrecht entered four events and cut his Pyraminx personal best to 5.36 seconds, an improvement of 58.2 percent over his previous best of 12.82, while also posting a first ever Skewb attempt of 12.53 seconds and an 11.9 percent drop in the standard Rubik's Cube. Kale Duard van Rensburg tackled four events, recording a 5.67 on his first ever attempt at Skewb alongside a 42.4 percent improvement in the 2x2x2 Cube at 5.32 seconds. Eliyah Samson Visser improved by 31.1 percent on 3x3x3 to reach 18.19 seconds and trimmed 26 percent off his 2x2x2 mark down to 3.96 seconds, while Wayne Claassen took seventh in Skewb with a personal best of 5.50 seconds, cutting 26.4 percent from his previous mark.

That forward momentum continued through several other individual performances throughout the venue. Shailen Govender knocked 30.2 percent off his Pyraminx best to hit 12.48 seconds across two events, while Manoah Visser shaved 32.2 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube time to finish at 9.47 seconds. Ian James Mcleod improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 23.7 percent down to 3.99 seconds, and Cathy Senekal lowered her 3x3x3 Cube time by 19.3 percent to 42.47 seconds while also securing 14th place in Skewb. For newcomers attending their first official WCA competition, including Keanu Frans Steenkamp who took on three separate puzzles, the day provided a memorable initiation into competitive speed cubing.

With 18 total podium places earned by athletes from South Africa, the gathering highlighted the depth of local talent across both standard and specialized formats. The successful organization at Actonville Primary School emphasized how a multifaceted event list can engage solvers of every specialty. As the year 2026 continues, the impressive personal bests and diverse triumphs registered across all six events ensure that this edition of Benoni May Madness 2026 will stand out as a showcase of comprehensive speedcubing skill.