Don't Inverloch Up 2024

Sixty-nine competitors converged on the Inverloch Community Hub across February 10 and February 11 for two full days of speedcubing action in regional Victoria. The schedule at Don't Inverloch Up 2024 packed 20 rounds of competition across 10 distinct events into the weekend, providing athletes from around Australia plenty of opportunities to test their limits. From classic puzzles to memory-intensive disciplines, the gathering served as a prime showcase for personal development and breakthrough times.

Phoenix Patterson set the standard across multiple events, capturing five titles over the course of the weekend. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube, Patterson secured top honors with a winning average of 7.74 seconds, holding off Lennon Hughes who finished second at 7.97 seconds and Divnoor Bajwa in third at 8.92 seconds. The 3x3 results capped a dominant run that also saw Patterson claim the top spot in 2x2x2 Cube with a 1.35 average, Pyraminx with a 2.09 mark, Skewb at 3.88, and 4x4x4 Cube with a 33.41 average.

The 2x2x2 Cube event stood out for a barrage of swift times during the competition. Patterson led the final standings ahead of Roman Rudakov, who earned second place with a 2.32 average, and Harry Forbes in third with a 2.34 average. Behind the podium finishes, the brackets saw numerous fast singles and averages registered, with competitors pushing each other across three tightly contested rounds in the compact discipline.

Big cubes and complex twists provided intense finishes of their own. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Divnoor Bajwa edged out the field by the narrowest of margins, posting a winning average of 1:08.28 to take the title just ahead of Patterson, who logged a 1:08.37 average. Zayd Chaudhry took third place in that contest with a 1:09.07 average. Meanwhile, Darcy Way delivered a composed performance in Megaminx, claiming victory with a 41.15 average ahead of Tam Quan at 45.77 and Roman Rudakov at 51.09.

The blindfolded categories belonged entirely to Michael Tripodi, who completed a clean sweep of all three memory-based events. In the standard 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Tripodi took first place with a winning single of 23.82 seconds, besting Tam Quan and Swami Srinivasan. Moving to larger cubes without sight, Tripodi captured the 4x4x4 Blindfolded crown with a 2:39.29 single and secured the 5x5x5 Blindfolded victory in 3:41.74, finishing ahead of Lennon Hughes and Swami Srinivasan in both extended events.

Beyond the top podium steps, the heart of this WCA competition was found in the remarkable rate of self-improvement across the roster. Parker Ashton achieved a major milestone in Skewb, setting a personal best of 2.99 seconds that was 59.2 percent faster than their previous mark. Sonny Mahoney slashed their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 51.6 percent down to 3.71 seconds, while Jacob Mock dropped their own 2x2x2 Cube mark by 49.7 percent to 2.54 seconds alongside their first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 3:23.37. Kyan Cope also found tremendous speed on the turning tables, trimming their Skewb personal best by 46.8 percent to 4.17 seconds.

Other competitors tackled fresh challenges and unlocked massive personal gains across multiple formats. Ben Jackson reduced their Pyraminx personal best by 43.3 percent to 11.06 seconds and logged their first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 20:22.00 finish. Lucas Hua improved their 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 27.8 percent to 17.97 seconds while registering a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:47.89. Billy Wilson took on a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a 52.23 result, and Oliver Thomas recorded a first ever attempt at Skewb in 4.76 seconds alongside a 21.1 percent Megaminx personal best drop to 2:13.99.

Debutants also made their mark as they took their very first steps in the Rubik's Cube community. Trent Derek Beggs completed an ambitious seven-event schedule during their initial outing, highlighted by a 17.53 single on the standard cube. Samuel Thexton, Reef Metselaar, and Sam Mackenlay all logged their first official times in multiple formats, anchoring a weekend defined by participation and measurable individual growth.

The successful conclusion of Don't Inverloch Up 2024 demonstrated the vitality of regional speed cubing in Australia. Competitors across every division walked away with lower times, new event experiences, and memorable head-to-head battles at the Inverloch Community Hub. With so many personal bests shattered over the two-day meet, the athletes now look ahead to taking these hard-earned gains into the rest of the 2024 calendar.