Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Hotel Q1 2025

The competition hall at the Legacy Centurion Hotel was filled with focused intensity across March 8 and March 9 as 62 competitors assembled for two full days of speedcubing action. Tables were lined with timers, mats, and puzzles of every shape, setting the stage for 18 rounds of intense action. For the local community in Centurion, South Africa, the gathering marked a major celebration of puzzle-solving skill in 2025, bringing together seasoned contenders and newcomers side by side under the official World Cube Association banner.

Local South African talent took centre stage throughout the Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Hotel Q1 2025, with Shivaan Harichander capturing the marquee 3x3x3 Cube crown on home soil. Facing a field of 56 entrants across three demanding rounds of classic Rubik's Cube solving, Harichander delivered when it mattered most in the final. His winning average of 7.88 seconds, anchored by a best single of 7.53, secured the top spot on the podium. Osman Badroodin took second place with an 8.72 average, while Isaac Scheepers rounded out the podium with 9.37.

The 3x3 results formed only one chapter of a dominant showing by South African speed cubing standouts over the weekend. Osman Badroodin put together an exceptional multi-event campaign, claiming three separate gold finishes. Badroodin took victory in the 4x4x4 Cube with a winning average of 35.36 seconds, besting Ruben Grobler at 36.49 and Isaac Scheepers at 37.96. Badroodin also triumphed in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 13.15 seconds ahead of Grobler and Harichander, and added the Square-1 title with a 13.59 average over Grobler and Scheepers.

Ruben Grobler proved to be the busiest competitor on the top step of the podium at this cubing competition, securing four individual event victories. Grobler won the 2x2x2 Cube with an average of 2.76 seconds, finishing ahead of Osman Badroodin and Ian Luies. In the Pyraminx, Grobler posted a winning average of 4.75 seconds to secure first place among 47 competitors, and he added the Skewb title with a 5.22 average to top Badroodin and Leonidas Kanellos.

Grobler also showcased his versatility in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, where memorisation and flawless execution under a blindfold are paramount. Grobler took the title with a single time of 1:10.12, narrowly edging Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim, who finished second in 1:10.53, while Phetolo Mashamaite placed third in 2:59.61. In the Megaminx, Heinrich de Lange dominated the 12-sided puzzle with a winning average of 41.52 seconds, leading Marike Faught and Grobler on the podium.

Beyond the championship podiums, the depth of South African cubing was evident across the ranks at the Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Hotel Q1 2025. Kagoentle Mokhabela delivered a remarkable weekend, taking on five events and finishing fourth in Skewb while dropping their personal best in the event to 4.24 seconds, an improvement of 73.6 percent, alongside a first ever Pyraminx attempt of 7.55 seconds. Bethanie Botha chopped 67.6 percent off their 3x3x3 Cube personal best, lowering it to 18.44 seconds. Josua du Raan entered seven events and slashed their 3x3x3 One-Handed best by 60.8 percent down to 23.61 seconds, while also cutting their Skewb best to 10.39 seconds and their 4x4x4 Cube time to 57.51 seconds. Dhiren Callister Nair registered a 57.7 percent drop in Skewb with a 9.63 mark and logged a first ever 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 1:12.45.

Newcomers and dedicated competitors made substantial progress at this WCA competition as well. Michael Kahumba improved their Skewb personal best by 56.2 percent to 5.06 seconds and trimmed their 3x3x3 Cube mark to 14.78 seconds. Jacques Andre Horne tackled eight events, lowering their Square-1 personal best by 45.5 percent to 41.56 seconds and improving in both 4x4x4 Cube and 2x2x2 Cube. First-time competitors made an immediate impact, with Kéan Botha taking on nine events at their first WCA competition to earn sixth place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, while Joshua Bennett entered seven events in their debut, registering a 4.60 in Skewb and taking fifth place in blindfolded solving.

The 2x2x2 Cube event saw a relentless flurry of quick times across the opening rounds, with multiple competitors posting sub-four-second results. Heinrich de Lange recorded a single of 2.68 and an average of 3.31, while Amahle Nyembe turned in a 2.57 single and 3.75 average. Miga Ferreira, Nathan Swanepoel, Juandré Jacobs, Rhynard Steyn, and Markus Visagie each registered standout single solves under 3.75 seconds to highlight the incredible baseline speed across the South African roster.

As the final awards were distributed at the Cubestuff Challenge Centurion Hotel Q1 2025, the tournament concluded having awarded all 27 podium positions to South African competitors. Across nine events and 18 rounds, the competition highlighted both the championship pedigree of experienced solvers and the emergence of ambitious new talents ready to elevate the nation's standing for the upcoming season.