Eversdal Autumn 2024

Fourteen out of fifteen possible podium spots went to host nation athletes at Eversdal Primary School, marking a dominant showing across a single day of high-stakes speedcubing. The Eversdal Autumn 2024 gathering brought 37 competitors together in Cape Town, South Africa on May 11, 2024, staging 9 rounds across five puzzle disciplines. From the standard Rubik's Cube to specialized side events, South African competitors dictated the pace of the weekend, leaving only a solitary third-place medal to an international challenger.

Daniel Rush delivered a commanding triple-victory performance across the roster. The South African standout secured first place in the 3x3x3 Cube, posting a winning average of 7.17 seconds after logging a blistering 5.06 best single. In a 37-person field spanning two elimination rounds, Rush paced ahead of fellow countryman Lethabo Moeti, who took second with an 11.00 average, and Maverick Pearson, who earned third with a 12.21 average to complete an all-South African podium in the main event.

Rush mirrored his success in the 2x2x2 Cube, topping a 25-competitor bracket with a first-place average of 3.09 seconds and a 1.58 best single across two rounds. Maverick Pearson captured second place with a 3.56 average, while Juniour Kwashira of Zimbabwe interrupted the clean sweep by securing third with a 4.08 mark. The 2x2x2 contest generated heavy movement on the time charts, with multiple competitors refining their official marks during preliminary and final attempts.

The 4x4x4 Cube contest saw Rush collect his third title of the meeting, winning the direct final round with a 33.95 average and a 27.24 single against 17 rivals. Maverick Pearson added another silver medal to his haul with a 46.24 average, while Jahziel Dominic Alonzo rounded out the South African podium sweep in third position with an average of 57.44 seconds.

Non-cube events brought distinct winners to the fore across the Cape Town stages. In Pyraminx, Lethabo Moeti navigated two rounds against 25 rivals to win the final with a 4.70 average and a single of 3.00 seconds. Maverick Pearson finished runner-up with 5.98, and Micah Willenburgh took third at 6.23. Willenburgh subsequently upgraded his standing in Skewb, taking first place with a 5.10 average ahead of Daniel David Mizen in second at 5.86 and Rush in third at 7.55.

Beyond the championship finals, the heart of the cubing competition unfolded through significant personal strides down the standings. Joshua Philip Schroder achieved the most dramatic single improvement of the day, lowering his Pyraminx personal best by 49.8 percent to 7.04 seconds and earning an 8th-place overall finish. Regardt Reynolds had an exceptional multi-puzzle campaign across five events, dropping his 2x2x2 mark by 43 percent to 4.22 seconds, his Pyraminx record by 17.1 percent to 10.63, and his 4x4x4 best by 13.8 percent to 2:55.04. Joshua Johannes cut his 2x2x2 personal best by 33.6 percent down to 4.90 seconds on his way to 6th place in Pyraminx.

Shane Heldsinger slashed 32.3 percent off his previous standard in the 3x3x3 Cube to finish with a 22.57 personal best. Taking on five separate events, Liam Swanepoel improved his 2x2x2 time by 30.3 percent to 5.69 seconds, took 9th in Pyraminx with an initial mark of 7.63, and logged a first official Skewb attempt of 20.27. Jacobus Casper Horn dropped his 3x3x3 mark by 27.8 percent to 15.52 for a 12th-place finish while posting a first 4x4x4 time of 1:39.24. In their first career WCA competition, David Harris tackled four events, recording 27.62 in 3x3x3, 18.65 in Pyraminx, and 29.76 in Skewb, while David Bester opened his official ledger across three events with a 34.42 in 3x3x3, 10.74 in Pyraminx, and 16.07 in Skewb.

The official 3x3 results from Eversdal Autumn 2024 underscored the sharp form present throughout the Western Cape speed cubing community. With five varied puzzle disciplines packed into a single fast-paced date, the competition highlighted both elite podium consistency and deep individual progress across all nine rounds.