Bunbury's South West Speedsolving 2024

Twenty-three competitors arrived at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School on September 14, 2024, facing an intense single-day gauntlet that packed 10 rounds across five distinct events. Bunbury's South West Speedsolving 2024 demonstrated how unforgiving modern speedcubing can be, where even small fields feature elite efficiency and razor-thin qualifying margins. Every advancement had to be earned across the tables in Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia, as participants battled through the heats to secure limited positions in each final round.

The 3x3x3 Cube event drew 22 competitors through three demanding stages of competition. In a discipline where consistency under pressure defines champions, Jonathan Charlesworth claimed the top spot on the podium with a decisive 8.46 winning average and an event-best single solve of 7.39. The battle for the remaining places was exceptionally tight, as Aaron Espiritu took second place with an 8.48 average, finishing just two hundredths of a second behind the leader. Tyler Williams secured third place with a 9.19 average to finalize the 3x3 results at this cubing competition.

Charlesworth added a second title to his weekend tally in the 2x2x2 Cube, showcasing blistering turn speed across two rounds. He captured the victory with a 2.24 average, matching the fastest single solve of the event at 1.59. Amy Smith delivered a strong performance to earn second place with a 2.50 average, while Aaron Espiritu collected another podium appearance by securing third place with an average of 2.80.

The longer format of the 4x4x4 Cube challenged 14 solvers in a direct single-round final. Tyler Williams emerged victorious with a commanding 33.79 average and a top single of 30.77. Jaxon Foster secured the runner-up position with a 34.97 average, while Jonathan Charlesworth completed the podium trio by taking third place with a 36.19 average.

Tyler Williams proved equally dominant on the tetrahedral puzzle, taking first place in Pyraminx with a 3.79 winning average and a 3.01 single across two competitive rounds. Jonathan Charlesworth finished close behind in second place with an average of 3.86, followed by Aaron Espiritu in third place at 4.23. In Clock, Amy Smith took the title with a swift 5.09 average and a 2.62 best single, holding off Williams who took second with 5.24, and Charlesworth in third at 7.79.

Away from the top steps of the podium, Bunbury's South West Speedsolving 2024 saw significant personal breakthroughs across the scorecards. Ethan Annane took on five events, achieving a best finish of 13th in 4x4x4 Cube, posting a first attempt of 1:16.24 in that event alongside a first Clock attempt of 19.28, while trimming his Rubik's Cube best down to 13.54 for a 29.6 percent improvement. Joshua Fong completed five events with an eighth-place finish in 4x4x4 Cube, delivering a 5.26 Pyraminx personal best that was 33 percent faster, a 57.67 personal best in 4x4x4 Cube that improved by 16.8 percent, and a first Clock mark of 21.92. Eli Dlugi achieved a huge 61.6 percent drop to reach a 3.30 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube across three events. Nicolas Done also logged three events, dropping his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 49.7 percent to 3.71.

The progress continued throughout the rest of the roster at this speed cubing gathering. Joshua Alan Meyburgh tackled three events and reached seventh in 3x3x3 Cube, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 38.9 percent to 2.87, improving his Pyraminx single by 26 percent to 8.68, and taking 23.6 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best with an 8.65. Ameen Nethaka Abhayasinghe competed across five disciplines, finishing fourth in Clock with a new personal best of 6.01, an 8 percent improvement. Declan Sander contested five events to place fifth in Pyraminx, while recording a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:01.31, an 8.6 percent drop. Joel Harrop entered five events, placing fourth in Pyraminx and registering a first official Clock solve of 10.47.

Debuts also added depth to the tournament roster as new competitors tested their skills. Alijah Pierre Perfecto Padagdag took part in three disciplines during their first official WCA competition, recording marks of 5.83 in 2x2x2 Cube, 21.23 in 3x3x3 Cube, and 8.60 in Pyraminx. Lachlan Hull launched into two events with an 18.61 in 2x2x2 Cube and 1:41.69 in 3x3x3 Cube, while Lachlan Bristow-Stagg posted initial marks of 42.08 in 3x3x3 Cube and 14.17 in Pyraminx.

Across all five disciplines, Australian competitors swept every one of the 15 available podium spots, reflecting the strength of the host contingent. With intense qualifying cutoffs, high-stakes finals, and continuous personal milestones across every level of experience, the 2024 gathering in Bunbury demonstrated the robust competitive atmosphere driving regional tournaments forward.