Furesø Beginnings 2024

Inside Syvstjerneskolen, the click and snap of plastic mechanisms resonated across the competition hall as timers lit up green throughout the day. Tables filled with solve mats, stack timers, and inspection covers set the stage for an intense single-day gathering. Dedicated enthusiasts and rising talents gathered to test their skills in an atmosphere focused on swift improvement and competitive drive. The one-day gathering brought 35 competitors together across eight distinct events and 11 rounds of action in Værløse, Denmark on April 21, 2024.

The energy across the venue highlighted how quickly the next generation of solvers is advancing through the ranks. Furesø Beginnings 2024 served as an ideal proving ground for competitors aiming to push their personal limits and test new disciplines on the official stage. While veterans delivered sharp execution at the top tables, the enthusiasm radiating from those dropping their solve times by double-digit percentages defined the spirit of the day. Every turn of the classic Rubik's Cube reflected months of dedicated home practice translating into official stage success.

At the front of the pack, the main 3x3x3 Cube contest delivered sharp battles down to the wire. Rasmus Stub Detlefsen captured first place with an impressive winning average of 7.39 seconds, supported by a blazing single of 6.24. Martin Vædele Egdal pushed hard to secure the runner-up spot with an average of 7.49, while Mathias Søndergaard Byrne rounded out the podium in third place with an average of 8.56. The 3x3 results across 34 competitors in two rounds showed remarkable depth across the entire Danish field.

Rasmus Stub Detlefsen enjoyed a remarkably dominant campaign throughout the weekend, securing multiple titles across varied disciplines. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Detlefsen topped the standings with a rapid 1.87 winning average, besting Daniel Vædele Egdal who finished second at 2.10 and Mathias Søndergaard Byrne in third at 2.55. Detlefsen also claimed victory in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 29.72 winning average, once again outperforming Martin Vædele Egdal who logged 31.08, while American competitor Adam Marcellus Kelly earned third place with a 33.06 average.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, the deeper story of this WCA competition belonged to the competitors achieving massive milestones. Samuel Rafn Andreasen entered four events and notched a standout 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 1.90 seconds, which was 67.2% faster than his previous mark, alongside tackling his first ever attempts in Pyraminx at 12.66 and Skewb at 13.67. Lewis Choleva knocked 35.5% off his Pyraminx personal best with a 6.71 and improved his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 24.7% to 2.78, while taking on his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt at 1:56.98. Laurids Tybjerg-Pedersen entered seven events, cutting 35.7% from his Clock personal best down to 20.21, dropping his Skewb mark to 6.09, and setting a 30.97 in 3x3x3 One-Handed.

The rapid progress continued across the venue as competitors expanded their repertoires into brand new events. Mark van Wyk took on three events, delivering a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 11.36 seconds that was 19.1% faster than before, while posting his first ever official attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 53.11 and 2x2x2 Cube at 4.70. Ib Refn recorded a 30.3% improvement in Pyraminx with a 14.80 personal best, dropped his 3x3x3 mark to 30.75, and made his first official attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 1:09.64. Toke Ravnborg Skovhuus took on six events, recording first attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:30.42, Clock at 18.67, and Skewb at 9.43, while Poul Rigall logged first ever attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube at 11.27 and the 3x3x3 Cube at 38.73.

The diverse schedule at Furesø Beginnings 2024 also highlighted alternative puzzles and specialty formats that tested complete mastery of mechanical turn speed. In the Clock event, Victor Valentin Glyrskov captured first place with an average of 4.11 seconds, finishing ahead of Martin Vædele Egdal at 5.22 and Daniel Vædele Egdal at 6.00. Daniel Vædele Egdal claimed top honors in Skewb with a 2.89 winning average, followed by Martin Vædele Egdal in second with 3.13 and Rasmus Stub Detlefsen in third with 4.03. These dynamic events gave the cubing competition a multifaceted showcase of speed cubing excellence.

Martin Vædele Egdal capped an extraordinary multi-event showcase by earning victories in three distinct formats. He took first in Pyraminx with a 3.24 average, edging Detlefsen by one hundredth of a second at 3.25, while Daniel Vædele Egdal took third at 3.55. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Martin Vædele Egdal won with a 12.49 average ahead of Mathias Søndergaard Byrne at 14.77 and Daniel Vædele Egdal at 15.41. Egdal also showed blindfolded solving mastery, requiring precise memorisation to win the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event with a 21.83 average, leading Adam Marcellus Kelly at 29.20 and Daniel Anker Hermansen at 30.33.

As the final solves concluded and equipment was packed away, Denmark finished with 22 podium places alongside two for the United States. The day proved how vibrant and quickly progressing the local speedcubing scene remains across all age groups and skill tiers. The achievements recorded at Furesø Beginnings 2024 established a strong foundation of new personal bests and event debuts that competitors will look to build upon in the upcoming competitive season.

På Syvstjerneskolen i Værløse, Denmark summede lokalerne af koncentration, da 35 deltagere samledes den 21. april 2024. Borde stod linet op med officielle måtter og timere, mens deltagere i alle aldre varmede fingrene op og inspicerede mekanikken på deres terninger. Det var rammen om en intens søndag fyldt med præcision og fart, hvor otte forskellige discipliner fordelt over 11 runder skulle afgøres i denne velbesøgte cubing competition.

Dagen bød fra morgenen på et tætpakket program ved Furesø Beginnings 2024, hvor Rasmus Stub Detlefsen hurtigt markerede sig i toppen af flere discipliner. I den klassiske Rubik's Cube 3x3x3 Cube leverede han en imponerende stabilitet over to runder mod 33 andre deltagere. Finalen blev en sand gyser mod Martin Vædele Egdal, men Detlefsen sikrede sig sejren med et gennemsnit på 7.39 sekunder mod Vædele Egdals 7.49, mens Mathias Søndergaard Byrne tog tredjepladsen i 8.56. Den hurtigste enkelttid i disciplinen stod Detlefsen også for med 6.24 sekunder.

Dominansen fra Rasmus Stub Detlefsen fortsatte i de øvrige hurtige formater. I 2x2x2 Cube sikrede han sig guldet med et vindende gennemsnit på 1.87 sekunder foran Daniel Vædele Egdal på 2.10 og Mathias Søndergaard Byrne på 2.55. Samtidig viste Detlefsen stor styrke på den større 4x4x4 Cube, hvor han var den eneste under den magiske grænse med et gennemsnit på 29.72 sekunder og en bedste tid på 28.46. Martin Vædele Egdal tog her andenpladsen med 31.08 sekunder foran Adam Marcellus Kelly fra USA med 33.06 sekunder.

Martin Vædele Egdal fik sin helt store triumf i de teknisk krævende discipliner. I Pyraminx vandt han med et gennemsnit på 3.24 sekunder i en utrolig tæt finale, hvor Rasmus Stub Detlefsen sluttede lige efter med 3.25 og Daniel Vædele Egdal med 3.55. I 3x3x3 One-Handed styrede Martin Vædele Egdal suverænt feltet med et gennemsnit på 12.49 sekunder foran Mathias Søndergaard Byrne på 14.77. Derudover tog han guldet i 3x3x3 Blindfolded, hvor løsningen udelukkende baseres på forudgående memorering, med et gennemsnit på 21.83 sekunder foran Adam Marcellus Kelly på 29.20 og Daniel Anker Hermansen på 30.33.

Bag de mest fremtrædende podieplaceringer bød dagen på bemærkelsesværdige fremskridt og personlige milepæle. Anette Warberg Borg deltog i fem discipliner og forbedrede sin personlige rekord i Skewb markant med en tid på 17.77 sekunder, hvilket var 24.7 procent hurtigere end hendes hidtidige 23.59. Sigfús Flensted-Jensen fra Island stillede op i tre discipliner og skar 23.8 procent af sin rekord i 2x2x2 Cube med en tid på 3.36 sekunder foruden en personlig rekord på 13.21 i 3x3x3 Cube. Magnus Berner-Magnusson forbedrede ligeledes sin 2x2x2-rekord med 23.6 procent til 6.51 sekunder og satte personlig rekord i 3x3x3 Cube med 14.60 sekunder, hvilket var 5.7 procent hurtigere.

Flere deltagere kastede sig ud i helt nye udfordringer på stævnedagen. Sofia Have Manor deltog i tre discipliner og gennemførte sit allerførste officielle forsøg i 4x4x4 Cube med tiden 1:44.83, mens hendes bedste placering blev en 10. plads i Clock. Johan Kær Nielsen stillede op i seks discipliner, opnåede en 9. plads i 3x3x3 One-Handed og satte personlig rekord i 3x3x3 Cube på 10.16 sekunder, en forbedring på 3.1 procent. Valdemar Reinhardt debuterede ved sin første WCA competition med tre discipliner, hvor han noterede 4:03.08 i sit første 4x4x4 Cube-forsøg, 15.51 i Pyraminx og 43.44 i 3x3x3 Cube. Karl Thy Østengaard havde ligeledes sin officielle debut og leverede sine første tider med 53.04 i 3x3x3 Cube, 19.51 i Pyraminx samt 16.25 i 2x2x2 Cube.

De mere specielle udfordringer gav også mindeværdige opgør hen over eftermiddagen. I Skewb triumferede Daniel Vædele Egdal med et gennemsnit på 2.89 sekunder foran Martin Vædele Egdal på 3.13 og Rasmus Stub Detlefsen på 4.03. I Clock-disciplinen var det Victor Valentin Glyrskov, der dominerede feltet med et vindende gennemsnit på 4.11 sekunder og en bedste enkelttid på 3.91, mens Martin Vædele Egdal tog andenpladsen med 5.22 foran Daniel Vædele Egdal med 6.00.

Med 22 podieplaceringer til Danmark og 2 til USA markerede Furesø Beginnings 2024 sig som en alsidig og udbytterig dag for dansk speedcubing. Arrangementet forløb gnidningsfrit på Syvstjerneskolen fra start til slut, og feltets bredde demonstrerede den store entusiasme omkring sporten. Både etablerede profiler og helt nye navne fik sat værdifulde tider og erfaringer i bogen inden den videre sæson.