Cubing in Barquisimeto 2023

Four championship titles hung in the balance when twenty-one competitors assembled at the Unidad Educativa San Pedro for a high-stakes day of speedcubing. The atmosphere in Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela demanded precision from the opening turn on July 8, 2023. With four official events and six rounds on the schedule, every solve carried heavy implications for the standings. Bernardo Torres set the tone early and never relinquished control, executing a clean sweep across every discipline contested throughout the tournament.

The premier contest of the day, the classic 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube, featured the largest field and the deepest bracket with three intense rounds. Torres maintained his standard in the final round, locking up first place with an average of 8.30 seconds and delivering the fastest single of the entire event at 7.90 seconds. Louis Rodriguez Guerrero chased hard to secure the runner-up spot with an average of 9.77 seconds, while Santiago David Paz Gutierrez earned third place with a 13.59 mark.

The battle for the podium extended far beyond the final, as the multi-round format pushed everyone to sharpen their 3x3 results. Louis Rodriguez Guerrero put up strong marks of his own, recording an 8.94 single and a 9.89 average during the progression of rounds. Santiago David Paz Gutierrez secured a 12.15 single and a 13.97 average, while Zi Lin Wu posted a 13.77 single and a 15.66 average. Enrymar Cisneros and Carlos Gonzalez also delivered standout efforts, turning in averages of 15.68 and 16.52 seconds respectively.

Torres continued his commanding run in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, navigating twelve competitors across a single deciding round. Operating with solitary precision, Torres posted a winning average of 17.00 seconds alongside a 14.36 single. Rodriguez Guerrero added another silver medal to his collection with a 20.89 average, while Zi Lin Wu claimed third place with a 27.60 mark to cap a competitive showing.

Behind the fight for trophies, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones that the podium tables only hint at. Cristal De Los Angeles Romero Cordero delivered one of the weekend's largest leaps, lowering her 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 38.08 seconds, an improvement of 25.8 percent over her prior mark of 51.35. Abdiel Josué Camacho Berrio sliced 23.7 percent from his own previous standard, setting a fresh personal best of 32.02 seconds. Edgar Briceño took on two events and recorded a 17.93 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube, which was 16.8 percent faster than his previous best of 21.55, before making his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 37.59 seconds to finish eighth. Eduardo Alfonso Gutiérrez Golindano entered two disciplines and dropped his 3x3x3 Cube best to 13.28 seconds, cutting 16.8 percent off his prior 15.96 mark, while tackling his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 43.65 seconds to claim tenth place.

Other athletes embraced fresh challenges across multiple disciplines at this cubing competition. Ronald Garcia contested three events, improving his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 6.6 percent to 14.91 seconds and completing his first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:46.00 to finish fifth. Daniel Carrizalez achieved an 18.70 personal best on the 3x3x3 Cube, improving by 16.1 percent over his previous 22.30, while logging his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 59.52 seconds for a ninth-place result. Sebastián Colmenarez registered a 21.44 personal best in 3x3x3 Cube and posted his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 50.67 seconds to finish sixth. Dierry Jeesid Querales Bello took part in his first WCA competition, tackling three events, finishing sixth in 4x4x4 Cube with a first ever attempt of 1:50.60, and recording initial marks of 20.05 in the 3x3x3 Cube and 57.05 in 3x3x3 One-Handed.

The big cube competitions rounded out the programme, bringing additional speed cubing action to the tables. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Torres captured gold with a 32.61 average and a 27.80 single, holding off Rodriguez Guerrero, who finished close behind in second place with an average of 33.69 seconds. Carlos Gonzalez completed the podium in third place with an average of 1:02.07. That same dynamic repeated on the larger puzzle.

In the 5x5x5 Cube, Torres broke the one-minute barrier with a 59.77 single, sealing his fourth title of the day on an average of 1:07.70. Rodriguez Guerrero secured another second-place finish with a 1:26.10 average, while Enrymar Cisneros completed the top three with a time of 1:59.39. Across all events, competitors representing Venezuela locked down all twelve available podium positions.

By the time the final timers were cleared, Cubing in Barquisimeto 2023 had delivered a showcase of focus and versatility under championship pressure. From the dominant four-event sweep at the top of the order to the breakthrough personal marks across the bracket, Cubing in Barquisimeto 2023 proved to be a defining stage for the region. As the local scene looks ahead to the next season, the standards established in Lara have raised the bar for every competitor.