Berakas Cubing 2025

Five podium finishes across five disciplines defined the standard in Santo Tomas, El Salvador on July 6, 2025. At Berakas Cubing 2025, held at the lively Beraka's Burguers venue, Oscar Nieto put together a commanding all-around performance. The Colombian standout featured in every single event podium of the competition, collecting two individual titles and never finishing lower than third across seven rounds of action.

A total of 25 competitors gathered for the high-energy cubing competition, tackling five diverse disciplines spanning classic Rubik's Cube solving to complex memory challenges. In the marquee 3x3x3 Cube event, Nieto set the benchmark across three intense rounds. He took top honors in the final with a winning average of 9.65 seconds, complemented by a sharp best single of 8.50. James Ballantine of the United Kingdom secured the runner-up spot averaging 11.30, while local favorite Javier Portillo placed third with an average of 12.07 in the official 3x3 results.

Nieto also captured gold in Skewb, putting together a winning average of 5.93 seconds behind a field-leading 4.45 single. El Salvadorian solvers kept the pressure on in the single-round contest, as José Enrique Jiménez claimed second place with a 6.48 average and Luis Alonso Inestroza Henriquez rounded out the top three with 6.68. The dual victories underlined Nieto's sharp reflexes on both face-turning and corner-turning puzzles.

The 4x4x4 Cube contest belonged decisively to José Enrique Jiménez, who delivered a standout display of speedcubing. Jiménez took the victory with a 36.86 average and a best single of 34.68 seconds, holding off Nieto's 40.23 effort. Elvis Isaí Rosales Hernández followed in a narrow battle for third with an average of 40.29. Host nation solvers showed remarkable depth across the bigger cube, occupying two of the three podium steps.

United Kingdom speed cubing talent James Ballantine dominated the remaining disciplines, capturing two major golds. In the Pyraminx, Ballantine posted a winning average of 6.93 seconds and a best single of 5.88, outpacing Henry Mixco with 7.65 and Nieto with 7.86. Ballantine then tackled the 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where solving relies entirely on mental memorisation before turning without sight. He secured the title with a single time of 1:41.71, while Nieto took second place with 2:32.50 in a demanding event where four fellow entrants logged DNFs.

Behind the headline battles, the competition highlighted remarkable progress across the roster. Oscar Armando Anaya Barrera produced one of the day's biggest leaps, recording a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:02.42 that was 35.2 percent faster than his prior mark, alongside an 8.30 personal best on the 3x3x3 Cube. Armando Javier Guevara Escalante took on four events, setting a Pyraminx personal best of 7.41 that eclipsed his previous record by 33.2 percent, a Skewb personal best of 5.12, and finishing fourth in Skewb. Emilio Alexis Sosa Ramirez logged his first ever attempts in both Skewb at 14.20 and Pyraminx at 5.38, while lowering his 3x3x3 personal best to 11.58, an improvement of 26.1 percent. Jared Stanley Rosales Castellón made first-time official attempts in Skewb with a 7.09 and 4x4x4 Cube with 1:05.68, alongside a 21.3 percent drop in Pyraminx to 9.44.

The breakthroughs continued throughout the field in Santo Tomas. Axel Orellana recorded his first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a 9.34 and dropped his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 17.3 percent to 21.43. Pedro Gabriel Guadrón Calderón completed his first Pyraminx solve in 9.52 while cutting his 3x3x3 personal best by 10.2 percent to 50.16. Diego David Morales Bermúdez entered two events, registering a first Pyraminx mark of 18.66 and a 15.68 personal best in 3x3x3 Cube. Meanwhile, Guillermo André Jiménez Ventura stepped onto the stage for his first WCA competition, recording his first ever attempt at the 3x3x3 Cube in 47.04 seconds.

When the final timers were cleared, El Salvador led all nations with 10 total podium places, backed by Colombia with 5 and the United Kingdom with 3. With memorable individual battles, multiple event sweeps, and massive leaps in personal times, Berakas Cubing 2025 concluded as a showcase of versatility and focus across every bracket.

As the season moves forward, the competitive standard set in Santo Tomas offers plenty of momentum for the region's solvers, who demonstrated that mastery across multiple puzzles requires both intense preparation and steady execution under pressure.