Berkeley Weekday Tricubealon 2024

A mere 0.72 seconds decided the premier title at the ASUC Student Union Martin Luther King Jr. Building, Tilden, as Ethan Jan held off a relentless charge from Varun Mohanraj in the final round of the 3x3x3 Cube. Jan posted a championship-winning average of 6.13 seconds, narrowly besting Mohanraj's 6.85-second mark to capture the top spot. The razor-thin margin set the tone for the Berkeley Weekday Tricubealon 2024, an intense one-day gathering held on April 15, 2024, in Berkeley, California, USA, where 33 competitors tackled six rounds across three specialized disciplines.

The 3x3 results demonstrated world-class precision from the opening solves to the final decisive solves. Jan put together an extraordinary series of solves, anchored by a best single of 5.34 seconds, to claim the title. Mohanraj kept the pressure on throughout the second round, finishing as runner-up, while Keaton Ellis rounded out the podium in third place with an 8.01-second average. All three podium finishers represented the host country in an exceptional demonstration of Rubik's Cube mastery in Northern California.

Beyond the main event, Anto Kam of Hong Kong delivered a dominant performance across alternate formats, capturing two titles in a single afternoon. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, Kam proved untouchable, claiming gold with a stellar winning average of 9.72 seconds and a single of 8.50. Jan added to his medal tally by taking second place with a 12.32 average, while Ellis secured his second bronze of the competition with a mark of 13.70 seconds.

Kam continued his winning streak in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded competition, an event that demands complete mental focus and memory under the pressure of the clock. Solving without sight, Kam posted the best single of the event with a time of 21.13 seconds to take first place. Cindy Xiaoyue Huang of China finished in second position with a time of 57.77 seconds, and Emmett O'Leary-Liu of the United States clinched third place with a time of 1:44.64.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors delivered remarkable breakthrough performances that highlighted the depth of talent at the competition. Bryce Wong registered one of the most substantial leaps of the day, setting a new 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 22.26 seconds, an improvement of 24.3 percent over his previous mark of 29.39. Ben Yin tackled three events and shaved 18.7 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 9.37-second solve, alongside a sixth-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Ernest Lu also dropped substantial time, recording a 19.91-second personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube that was 15.8 percent faster than his prior standard of 23.66.

The progress continued across the scorecards as Tsukasa Sano tackled three disciplines, achieving a personal best of 2:32.55 in 3x3x3 Blindfolded to finish fifth, improving by 20.9 percent from 3:12.96, while also trimming 5.9 percent off his one-handed best at 25.45. Will Gray shaved 12.2 percent off his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark with a time of 45.75 seconds, and Noah Abji earned an eighth-place finish in the same event with a personal best of 14.92 seconds, an 8.3 percent improvement. The gathering also marked the start of new journeys, as Balis Peirce completed a first official 3x3x3 Cube attempt in 35.75 seconds, while Lorenzo Piat made his official debut with a 16.69-second attempt.

The Berkeley Weekday Tricubealon 2024 showed the versatility required in modern speedcubing, testing athletes across standard solving, one-handed execution, and blindfolded recall. The three events pushed competitors to demonstrate lightning reflexes and tactical adaptability throughout the packed schedule. With six rounds completed in a single day, the tournament delivered high-stakes drama and tight turnarounds from the initial heats to the podium finals.

By the close of the competition, the medal distribution reflected the international breadth of the field, with the United States collecting six podium spots, Hong Kong taking two, and China earning one. From veteran campaigners setting personal milestones to newcomers taking their first turns on the official stage, the speed cubing gathering in Berkeley capped a memorable 2024 event filled with tight races and standout achievements across every round of this WCA competition.