Ben's CubeMakers Asunción 2024

Fifty-one competitors gathered across two full days of action as Ben's CubeMakers Asunción 2024 brought top-tier speedcubing to the Universidad Comunera on April 20 and April 21. Across 12 official events and 17 demanding rounds, local competitors put on an absolute clinic on home soil. Paraguayan solvers claimed an overwhelming 28 podium positions out of the available places, showcasing the nation's rising talent pool and asserting complete control across the weekend's classic and specialized disciplines in Asunción, Paraguay.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew 49 competitors through three rounds of fierce speed cubing, setting a competitive tone early. Kenji Julián Cáceres Matsumoto clinched the gold medal with an 8.68 winning average and a best single time of 7.46 seconds. Elías Villamayor pushed hard to take second place with a 9.42 average, while Pedro Henrique de Jesus Silva of Brazil broke into the top three with an average of 12.56. The 3x3 results served as a highlight of the weekend, confirming Cáceres Matsumoto as a dominant force at the tables.

Cáceres Matsumoto was far from finished after securing the main title. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, which featured 20 competitors across two rounds, he navigated the puzzle with single-handed precision to take victory with a 16.47 average and a 13.35 single. Elías Villamayor once again took the runner-up spot with a 17.73 average, while Pedro Henrique de Jesus Silva secured third at 18.97. Cáceres Matsumoto also collected top honors in the Pyraminx, leading the 21-person field in a single round with a 4.97 average.

The 2x2x2 Cube and 4x4x4 Cube events saw a complete sweep by Paraguay, led by Elías Villamayor. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Villamayor posted a winning average of 3.13 seconds, narrowly outpacing Milko Sebastián Gutiérrez Arroyo at 3.18 and Kenji Julián Cáceres Matsumoto at 3.61. Villamayor repeated his winning formula on the 4x4x4 Cube, taking first place with a 40.63 average, while Gutiérrez Arroyo finished second in 41.92 and Cáceres Matsumoto took third with 43.12 in another all-Paraguayan podium sweep.

Milko Sebastián Gutiérrez Arroyo turned the large twisty puzzles into his personal showcase throughout the cubing competition. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Gutiérrez Arroyo claimed the title with a 1:22.79 average ahead of Pedro Henrique de Jesus Silva and Venezuela's Gustavo Adolfo Ortega Gomez. He then swept the massive 6x6x6 Cube with a 3:01.92 average over Giovanni Mendez and Ortega Gomez, and mastered the 7x7x7 Cube with a winning average of 4:26.91 to lead Ortega Gomez and Carlos Santiago Fariña Vera.

Beyond the traditional big cubes, Gutiérrez Arroyo collected two more titles in alternate puzzles, registering a 1:10.95 average to win Megaminx and a 4.50 average to take first in Skewb. In the Square-1 event, Giovanni Mendez stepped to the top of the podium with an 18.36 average. Meanwhile, Carlos Benjamin Mereles Martinez secured the Clock championship with an 8.10 average, heading a podium that featured Silas Núñez Ortiz in second and Gustavo Riveiro in third.

Beyond the medal table, several solvers achieved major breakthroughs away from the podium spotlight at this WCA competition. Felipe Javier Rugel Cáceres dropped his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 46.7 percent down to 3.99 seconds, while also recording a 19.12 in the 3x3x3 Cube and an 8.86 in Pyraminx. Richard Guillermo Ortega Villordo cut his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 39.9 percent to 5.07 seconds. Jazmin Florentin sliced her Megaminx personal best by 39.4 percent down to 4:55.52 and tackled her first official Pyraminx attempt in 27.18 seconds, while Iñigo Franco Martínez lowered his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 37.4 percent to 4.33 seconds.

The progress continued with Leonardo Ezequiel González González, who improved his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 32 percent to 29.90 seconds and tried 2x2x2 Cube for the first time with an 8.92 single. Josias Aguilera registered a 30.2 percent improvement on his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best with a time of 32.71 seconds while attempting the 5x5x5 Cube for the first time in 4:45.37. Making their debut on the official stage, Alan Ramón Candia Schmickler tackled four events including a 14.67 Pyraminx attempt, while Oscar Maximiliano López Escobar completed his first Rubik's Cube attempt in 27.72 seconds.

With 12 distinct events successfully decided, Ben's CubeMakers Asunción 2024 offered an extensive display of versatility, discipline, and community growth. The 2024 gathering in Asunción highlighted both experienced champions sweeping podiums and newcomers establishing their official benchmarks. As the tournament drew to a close, the strong local showings across all formats reaffirmed Paraguay's rising footprint across the broader South American speedcubing circuit.