Cape Cubes Challenge 2024

Daniel Rush delivered an overwhelming display of dominance in Cape Town, South Africa, capturing seven event victories over two days of high-stakes speedcubing. Held at Kirstenhof Primary School from December 14 to December 15, the Cape Cubes Challenge 2024 featured 46 competitors across 10 distinct events. Rush paced the entire weekend by locking down the premier 3x3x3 Cube crown with a 6.45-second winning average, bolstered by a 5.92 single that stood as the fastest mark of the tournament. Samuel Collett followed in second place with an 8.84 average, while Jahziel Dominic Alonzo rounded out the podium at 9.41 in the final round.

The 2x2x2 Cube event became the centerpiece of historical bracket movement, establishing new national benchmarks for South Africa during preliminary play. Milan Blaauw registered a benchmark single of 3.36 seconds and a 5.33 average, while Daniel David Mizen delivered a 3.29 single alongside a 4.65 average. Luc de Cafmeyer secured a 4.13 single and a 6.31 average, and Tristan Ford posted a 5.63 single with a 6.63 average. Further entries into the record books came from Reece Martin Hendricks at 6.08, Christopher Metelerkamp at 7.05, Josua van der Westhuyzen at 7.76, Phillip van der Westhuyzen at 8.49, Kai Faasen at 9.16, and Jezi O'Hagan at 9.32.

When the 2x2x2 Cube final arrived, Rush claimed the title with an average of 2.48 seconds and a quick single of 1.67. Jesse Osburn earned the silver position with a 2.82 average, narrowly edging Daniël Switijnk of the Netherlands, who posted a 2.85 mark for the only international podium finish across the entire gathering. South African competitors secured the remaining 29 podium placements over the 19 contested rounds of this WCA competition, illustrating the impressive domestic depth present throughout the Western Cape speed cubing community.

Rush continued his winning streak by mastering longer formats and specialized puzzles throughout the schedule. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Rush recorded a 25.69 average and a 24.14 single to lead Collett, who took second at 32.74, and Maverick Pearson in third at 41.09. Moving to the 5x5x5 Cube, Rush secured first place with a 54.23 average and a 46.12 single, while Collett finished runner-up at 57.91 and Osburn placed third at 1:12.62. Rush also claimed the Megaminx title with a 46.86 average and secured Square-1 with a 12.49 average, defeating Collett and Mizen in the final round.

In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, Rush handled the classic Rubik's Cube mechanics with a single hand to take victory with a 16.31 average, joined on the podium by Pearson at 17.81 and Collett at 18.20. Even in the events where Rush did not claim the top spot, the competition remained fierce. Osburn seized the Pyraminx title with a 3.39 average, beating Lethabo Moeti at 3.51 and Rush at 4.84. Collett earned a gold medal in Clock with a 7.05 average, finishing ahead of Catherine Rush at 7.51 and Mizen at 7.68. Micah Willenburgh captured the Skewb victory with a 3.93 average.

Behind the headline trophies, a dedicated group of solvers produced immense progress across the schedule. Zaffery Hammond-Aryee took on nine events, finishing eighth in Skewb while logging a first attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 3:17.38, a first 3x3x3 One-Handed solve in 42.75, and a Clock personal best of 15.19 that was 54 percent faster than his prior standard. Max Bradley Robertson tackled five events, earning 18th in Pyraminx, making first attempts at Skewb in 12.67 and 4x4x4 Cube in 1:53.92, and lowering his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 47 percent down to 8.90. Adam Mohamed took on four events, setting a 2x2x2 Cube best of 5.70 that improved on his old mark by 43.2 percent alongside a first Skewb attempt of 20.46.

New milestones continued across the floor as Daniel Mynhardt entered four events, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube best by 40.3 percent to 9.33 and his 3x3x3 standard by 17 percent to 25.42. Hamza Akbar Kajie took on seven events, achieving a first Megaminx result of 4:25.41 while bettering his Skewb time by 25.1 percent to 15.91 and his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 17 percent to 1:31.32. Luc de Cafmeyer recorded a ninth-place finish in 3x3 results while logging initial career attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:02.39, 5x5x5 Cube at 2:07.79, and one-handed solving at 37.30. Making their first appearances at an official cubing competition, Teague Kuttel completed 3x3x3 Cube in 23.51, Skewb in 11.74, and Pyraminx in 10.75, while Simon Viljoen placed 20th in 2x2x2 Cube with an opening mark of 4.35.

With 19 rounds concluded over two days, the Cape Cubes Challenge 2024 wrapped up a memorable year of competition in Cape Town. From the sweeping seven-event collection by Daniel Rush to the wave of new regional records and personal bests achieved across all ten puzzle disciplines, the tournament highlighted the growing technical capability of South African speedcubers. Solvers across every event demonstrated sharp execution under competition conditions, laying a solid foundation for continued success on the national stage in 2024 and the upcoming competitive season.