CubingZA Nationals 2025

The tables at BMG World were alive with the steady click and snap of plastic as competitors, families, and organizers gathered across three days from April 26 to April 28. Between official rounds, solver groups shared algorithms, tested tension settings, and celebrated milestones together. The social atmosphere across the venue showed the heart of the community as 143 competitors assembled in Johannesburg, South Africa for CubingZA Nationals 2025. Across 16 events and 35 rounds of action, the gathering proved how shared dedication turns a high-stakes arena into a celebration of the sport.

The main stage offered plenty of drama, particularly in the traditional Rubik's Cube category where 141 competitors tested their speed across four rounds. Daniel Rush claimed the top step on the podium, finishing with a winning average of 7.28 seconds and laying down a best single solve of 6.02. The 3x3 results capped a dominant multi-event showing for Rush, while the broader field pushed through multiple heats to test their fastest solutions under the competition timer. The classic event drew solvers of every level together under one roof.

Rush expanded his gold-medal haul across the bigger puzzles throughout the weekend. In the 4x4x4 Cube, he took victory with an average of 29.10 seconds ahead of Osman Badroodin with 31.55 and Ruben Grobler with 35.75. Rush also secured first place in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 45.52 average, besting Badroodin at 1:00.60 and Grobler at 1:06.49. That dominance continued into the largest puzzles, where Rush won the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:24.87 average ahead of Badroodin and Jahziel Dominic Alonzo, and captured the 7x7x7 Cube title in 2:12.99.

Beyond the standard cubes, the side events brought unique energy to this speed cubing festival. Marike Faught delivered an extraordinary sweep of the memory-intensive challenges, winning four separate blindfolded categories. Faught secured victory in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a best single of 34.19 seconds, finished first in 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a time of 5:05.43, and captured the 5x5x5 Blindfolded win with a 12:36.00 single. Faught completed the sweep by winning 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, successfully resolving 16 out of 17 cubes within a time of 57:38.

Away from the top of the standings, the real heartbeat of the cubing competition remained the individual breakthroughs achieved throughout the venue. Amaara Gamieldien produced one of the most remarkable jumps of the weekend, dropping her 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 18.13 seconds, which was 54.5 percent faster than her prior mark of 39.84, while also making first career attempts in Skewb at 9.38 and 2x2x2 Cube at 4.73. Bethanie Botha achieved a personal best of 10.13 in Pyraminx, an improvement of 51.6 percent over her earlier 20.93 mark, took on a first 3x3x3 Blindfolded attempt in 4:10.11 to place ninth, and recorded a first Megaminx solve in 2:57.56. Jack du Plooy lowered his 2x2x2 personal best to 7.23, cutting 44.7 percent off his previous 13.07, alongside debut runs in Skewb at 14.31 and Clock at 27.79. Tiaan de Klerk tackled five events at CubingZA Nationals 2025, posting first career attempts in Pyraminx at 7.54, 2x2x2 at 4.97, and Square-1 at 43.90.

The exploration of new disciplines was widespread across the competitor list. Mikhyl Singh took on an ambitious slate of 12 events, recording his first official attempts in 7x7x7 Cube at 5:03.88, Clock at 16.90, and Square-1 at 33.71. Casey Milos also entered 12 events, earning a 12th place finish in 6x6x6 Cube with a debut attempt of 2:33.82 alongside first runs in 7x7x7 at 4:43.73 and Square-1 at 58.24. Uthmaan Adam achieved an eighth place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while logging first attempts in Square-1 at 20.15, Pyraminx at 9.18, and Megaminx at 3:34.73. Jesse Jacobs logged first attempts across three disciplines, posting 1:52.03 in 4x4x4, 55.49 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and 9.76 in Pyraminx.

Fast action across the specialty events kept the schedule moving briskly. Ruben Grobler earned victory in the 2x2x2 Cube with an average of 1.78 seconds, finishing just ahead of Jahziel Dominic Alonzo at 1.86 and Daniël Switijnk at 2.03. In Pyraminx, Caspar Switijnk took top honours with a winning average of 2.55 seconds. Waseem Hoosain captured the 3x3x3 One-Handed event in 13.01, Estian Blignaut won Skewb with a 4.30 average, and Osman Badroodin claimed Square-1 in 12.66. Juan Erasmus won Clock with an average of 7.04, leading Ian Luies at 8.27 and Grant Robert King at 8.35.

International representation added to the weekend, with Namibia's Luke Agapitus delivering a national record average of 5.16 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube alongside a single solve of 4.32. Across the podium tallies, South African solvers earned 48 top-three placements while the Netherlands earned two. The varied slate demonstrated how speedcubing events create a shared platform for veterans and developing solvers alike. As CubingZA Nationals 2025 concluded in Johannesburg, South Africa, the 2025 season gained another memorable WCA competition defined by shared dedication and community camaraderie.