Chilling in Canberra Sunday 2024

A blistering final round from Harrison Jonathan Newbery-Chunn set the benchmark at Chilling in Canberra Sunday 2024, securing the premier title with a decisive 8.65 second winning average. The performance capped an intense day of championship-level Rubik's Cube action where every turn carried tournament implications. Staged across nine rounds of intense play, the meet brought together 40 competitors all chasing top honours in a compact, highly focused format that tested both sprint pacing and nerve under pressure.

Held at the historic Albert Hall in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, the one-day gathering on June 23, 2024, delivered sharp competition across four distinct disciplines. Competitors had to navigate tight margins in front of the timers, with podium places on the line throughout the weekend. The battle for the classic puzzle showcased high standards as solvers worked through three elimination stages, culminating in dramatic final showdowns that reshuffled the regional hierarchy for the 2024 season.

In the main event, Newbery-Chunn stayed composed against a strong field of 39 entrants, capturing the victory ahead of Peri Le Dain, who took second place with a 9.44 average, and Cass Hopkins, who secured third at 9.82 seconds. The 3x3 results underlined the quality of the field, with Newbery-Chunn posting the day's best single solve of 7.78 seconds in the final round to seal the championship. The performance stood as the defining speedcubing achievement of the meet.

Beyond the standard puzzle, the 6x6x6 Cube tested stamina and lookahead across a single demanding round of 11 competitors. Cass Hopkins claimed the top step of the podium with a winning average of 1:58.38 and the event's best single time of 1:53.19. Harrison Jonathan Newbery-Chunn took the silver medal with a 2:01.24 average, while Spain's Ting Sheng Bao Yang rounded out the top three in 2:22.48, making it one of the most gruelling battles witnessed at Chilling in Canberra Sunday 2024.

The specialised disciplines provided their own dramatic shifts. Liam Sawade dominated the Pyraminx field of 30 competitors, taking first place across three rounds with an outstanding winning average of 2.91 seconds alongside the day's best single of 1.80. Miles Irwin finished in second place with a 3.67 average, while Ting Sheng Bao Yang took third with 5.74. In 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where pure memorisation and precision reign, Ting Sheng Bao Yang secured the title with a single mark of 1:23.85, followed by Jack Hitchman at 1:36.86 and Lachlan Cooke at 2:56.41.

Away from the podium battles, significant milestones were forged through breakthrough individual performances across the roster. Lachlan Buckley delivered a massive leap in Pyraminx, cutting his personal best by 40.1 percent to 4.84 seconds on the way to a fourth-place finish. Hemil Ravani notched a new 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 16.03 seconds, an improvement of 27.8 percent, while Lingwen Chen chopped 26.9 percent off their Pyraminx mark to finish at 8.86 seconds. Melissa Jones also surged on Pyraminx, taking her personal best down by 23.9 percent to 15.20 seconds.

First-time event entries also highlighted the depth of progression across the arena at Chilling in Canberra Sunday 2024. William Kupkee tackled three events, making first career attempts at Pyraminx with a 9.71 single and 6x6x6 Cube with a 3:29.83 mark, finishing seventh overall in the big cube. Soph Nott entered two events, logging a debut Pyraminx solve of 12.77 seconds while shaving 24 percent off their 3x3x3 Cube best with a 49.85. Sricharanreddy Kareti completed their first WCA competition by taking on the 3x3x3 Cube with a 20.22 single and Pyraminx with 9.36, while Nicholas Baines debuted at the same meet with a 6.19 Pyraminx solve and a 21.47 on the 3x3x3 Cube.

The overall medal count finished with Australia securing nine podium places and Spain capturing three, reflecting the competitive standard across the board. Every division demanded complete focus, reinforcing the venue as a proving ground for both emerging talents and seasoned solvers alike. For the competitors gathered at the Albert Hall, the execution across all four events demonstrated the technical depth of the contemporary speed cubing scene.

As the final timers were cleared, the accomplishments of Chilling in Canberra Sunday 2024 left a distinct impression on the regional calendar. From the rapid-fire Pyraminx rounds to the intense concentration of the blindfolded solves, every round carried championship weight. Solvers will carry these benchmarks forward, carrying renewed momentum into the next phase of the competitive calendar following a memorable cubing competition.