Don't Go Slow in Wicklow 2025

Ninety-six competitors took their places at the Parkview Hotel over the April 26 to April 27 weekend, setting off an intense schedule of 18 rounds across 10 disciplines. The atmosphere in Wicklow, Ireland reflected the rapid ascent of a young generation of puzzle solvers eager to test their training against the clock. Across every bracket, emerging talents demonstrated dramatic improvements, proving that dedication and practice are shifting the benchmarks at every tier of the cubing competition circuit in 2025.

The premier event brought deep fields and fierce pacing, as 92 entrants tackled the classic Rubik's Cube. In the final round of the 3x3x3 Cube, Ciarán Beahan delivered an outstanding performance to claim top honors with a winning average of 7.24 seconds, punctuated by a best single of 6.69 seconds. Cillian Hainbach secured second place with a 7.58 average, while Iollan Walsh rounded out the podium with 7.68 seconds, establishing a high standard among the weekend 3x3 results.

Beahan proved to be a dominant presence across multiple formats throughout Don't Go Slow in Wicklow 2025. In the 4x4x4 Cube, he took first place with a 24.16 winning average, finishing ahead of Stephanie Rose Martin at 29.86 and Cillian Hainbach at 30.84. Beahan also claimed victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 13.10 seconds, where Martin finished second with 14.82 and India's Prabhav Rajaram Nayak secured third with 15.62. In the big cube categories, Beahan topped both the 5x5x5 Cube with a 43.71 average and the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:17.76 mark.

Short-format events produced remarkable agility and rapid turns. The 2x2x2 Cube saw Prabhav Rajaram Nayak capture the title with an impressive winning average of 2.27 seconds, edging out Lucas Patrick Dowling at 2.38 and Stephanie Rose Martin at 2.65. In the Pyraminx division, Miłosz Andzel earned the victory with a 2.98 average, followed by Oisín Olwill with 3.61 and Dowling with 3.74. Rían Burke conquered the Clock discipline with a 4.28 average, leading Jack Corr at 5.00 and Ben Timmons at 5.06.

Beyond the podium battles, Don't Go Slow in Wicklow 2025 offered a compelling showcase of personal milestones and breakthrough times for newer entrants. Adam Kenny entered five events and improved his Pyraminx personal best to 6.12 seconds, which was 47.2 percent faster than his prior mark, while also logging his first official 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 1:11.50. Keaton Murphy took on his first official 3x3x3 One-Handed solve with 41.14 seconds and lowered his Pyraminx personal best to 8.95 seconds, a 48.4 percent drop. Gavin Nolan registered a 20.2 percent improvement on his 3x3x3 Cube best with a 23.47 single, alongside his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt of 2:18.41. Lorcan Mc Dermott made his first attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:43.12 and cut his Pyraminx best by 45.2 percent to 11.51 seconds.

The progress continued across the lineup as dedicated competitors tackled diverse challenges. Daniel Strzelecki took on ten events during the weekend, placing seventh in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with a mark of 45 on his first ever attempt, while improving his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best to 23.83 seconds, a 28 percent leap. Arsen Hereta also competed in ten events, logging his first 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 3:14.51 and taking 32.7 percent off his Pyraminx mark with a 4.64 single. Maurice Hunt reduced his Clock best by 42.3 percent down to 12.01 seconds, while Jacob Roantree lowered his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 24.6 percent to 3.12 seconds and completed his first 4x4x4 Cube solve in 1:48.29.

Strategic and memory-intensive categories added unique dimensions to the weekend schedule. In the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest, Mark Gregan secured first place with an efficient 25-move single, outpacing Cillian Hainbach at 28 moves and Stephanie Rose Martin at 38 moves. The 3x3x3 Blindfolded event demanded exceptional concentration and spatial recall, where Ben Timmons captured victory with a decisive best single of 46.71 seconds. These events demonstrated the versatile skill sets thriving across the regional community.

When the final timers stopped at Don't Go Slow in Wicklow 2025, Irish competitors had claimed 28 of the 30 available podium spots, accompanied by two podium places for India. The gathering highlighted how rapidly young speed cubing competitors are advancing through regular competition and disciplined practice. As the speedcubing community looks ahead to future meets, this energetic WCA competition confirmed that the next generation is ready to push personal and national records to unprecedented levels.