Cork Spring 2024

Ciarán Beahan delivered an emphatic standard of excellence across the board at Devere Hall, culminating in a dominant 7.18 winning average in the 3x3x3 Cube to lead the field in Cork, Ireland. Across three rounds of premier Rubik's Cube competition, Beahan kept the pressure on every challenger, posting a best single of 6.30 to take the marquee crown. The weekend featured a massive surge of rapid improvements from developing solvers, turning the gathering into a vibrant demonstration of how quickly the next wave of talent is advancing through the ranks.

Held on February 24 and February 25, Cork Spring 2024 brought together 92 competitors across 12 distinct events and 19 separate rounds. Solvers from across Europe converged on the venue, with Irish cubers securing 15 podium places, closely followed by competitors from the Netherlands who collected 13 top-three finishes. The packed two-day schedule gave newcomers and established specialists alike the chance to test their skills in an official WCA competition setting, producing rapid progress from the preliminary heats straight through to Sunday afternoon's finals.

The 3x3 results reflected intense international competition behind Beahan's winning average. Robin Teune took second place with a steady 7.71 mark, while Mattheo de Wit secured third on an 8.28 average. De Wit enjoyed a particularly prolific weekend across multiple puzzles, taking victory in Skewb with a 2.92 winning average and best single of 2.23, as well as claiming first place in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a 31-move solution ahead of Ukraine's Nikita Grytsenko on 34 and Ireland's Kalin Doherty on 35.

Beahan's mastery extended deep into the big-cube catalog, sweeping the remaining multi-layered disciplines. In the 4x4x4 Cube, he clinched the title with an average of 23.63 and a low single of 21.14, outlasting Dutch duo Ivo Stoutjesdijk and Robin Teune. Moving to the 5x5x5 Cube, Beahan maintained his commanding form by finishing on a 44.14 average, well clear of Teune in second at 1:01.03. He capped off the big-cube program by taking the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:17.64 and the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:02.28 average, before sealing a victory in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind by solving 4 out of 5 cubes in 36:32.

Beyond the podium battles, the true heart of the weekend lay in the striking personal breakthroughs recorded throughout the arena. Alex Brett delivered massive strides, taking their 2x2x2 Cube mark down to 2.50, a 44.7 percent improvement, while also dropping their 3x3x3 Cube best to 11.92. Ronan Galvin knocked 38 percent off their previous best on the 2x2x2 Cube with a 6.00 single and cut their 3x3x3 time by 29.1 percent to 28.78. Graham D. Downey made substantial leaps across six events, posting a 5.18 single on Skewb to go 34.7 percent faster and improving their 5x5x5 time by 23.1 percent to 1:45.61. Oisin James Waldron also excelled across five events, shaving 34 percent off their Skewb best with a 7.38 and dropping their 4x4x4 Cube single by 30.5 percent down to 1:51.10.

Fresh milestones continued across every round as emerging solvers stepped up to unfamiliar disciplines. Daniel Buckley took on six events in their first official cubing competition, setting initial benchmarks of 7.44 in Pyraminx and 27.09 on the 3x3x3 Cube while securing 32nd in Megaminx. Charlie Egan also made their WCA debut across six events, recording a 9.44 Pyraminx single and placing 35th in Megaminx. Diarmuid O'Donovan logged first-ever event attempts in Megaminx at 3:50.70 and 4x4x4 at 2:05.78 alongside a 30.7 percent Skewb personal best of 15.48, while Jamie Blennerhassett took on 11 events, achieving a 27 percent Skewb personal best of 9.27 and completing a first-ever attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves in 61.

The short-format disciplines offered thrilling sprint finishes on the timer. Kalin Doherty secured the 2x2x2 Cube title with a 2.18 winning average, narrowly holding off Mattheo de Wit's 2.25 and Enda Loftus's 2.31. In the Pyraminx final, Loftus stepped atop the podium with an elite 2.57 average, backed by a quick 1.55 single. Loftus doubled up on gold by winning the Megaminx event outright, recording a 48.28 average and a best single of 43.42 to finish ahead of the 38-competitor field.

Precision under pressure defined the blindfolded disciplines on the Devere Hall stage. Netherlands competitor Ivo Stoutjesdijk earned first place in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, using memory and orientation to post a winning single of 43.96. Enda Loftus followed in second place with a 1:13.23 solve, while William Carey rounded out the podium positions with a single of 1:03.92. Together with Beahan's 4/5 Multi-Blind victory, the memory categories demonstrated the intense focus required across the blindfolded events.

As the 2024 season moves forward, the speedcubing community leaves Cork with clear proof of accelerating standards. From Beahan's multi-event sweep to the high volume of personal records logged across all age brackets, the weekend showcased an energetic speed cubing scene where dedication turns quickly into tangible speed on the mat. The collective momentum built across these 19 rounds sets a high standard for Irish competitions in the months ahead.