Gort-a Go Fast 2024

Ninety-four competitors gathered across two demanding days of speedcubing at Gort Community Centre, facing a schedule that packed 21 total rounds into the January 27–28 weekend. The cut structure and differing progression paths placed distinct pressures on the field, spanning multi-stage showdowns and single-round endurance finals. Across eleven puzzles in Galway, Ireland, competitors navigated varied formats where small margins separated those advancing to final rounds from the rest of the pack in 2024.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest presented the longest road to victory, requiring solvers to navigate three full stages from an opening field of 93 participants. In the final round of the classic Rubik's Cube, Iollan Walsh secured the title by delivering an 8.47 winning average, anchored by a best single of 7.98. The 3x3 results saw Cathal Burke claim second place with an average of 10.01, just edging out Enda Loftus, who secured third place on the podium at 10.10.

Enda Loftus delivered an exceptionally busy and successful campaign across several puzzle types. In the 2x2x2 Cube, which also featured a grueling three-round format for 84 entrants, Loftus claimed the top spot with a 2.52 winning average and a 1.55 single. Ronan Finke took the runner-up position with a 3.18 average, while Oisín Mulkerrin finished third at 3.27. Loftus added a second victory in the two-round 4x4x4 Cube competition, recording a winning average of 38.75 and a single of 36.90 to finish ahead of Adam Bermingham at 45.97 and Ben Timmons at 46.48.

Direct finals offered zero margin for error in the larger puzzles, forcing entrants to execute immediately without preliminary qualifying runs. Ciarán Beahan capitalized on both single-round opportunities, claiming victory in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 42.80 average and a single of 41.14, where Adam Bermingham finished second at 1:23.73 and Ben Timmons placed third at 1:26.39. Beahan repeated that dominance in the 6x6x6 Cube final, taking first place with an average of 1:19.36 ahead of Bermingham at 2:28.84 and Ronan Finke at 2:30.80. Loftus also secured a third event title in the Megaminx single-round final, winning with an average of 50.61.

In the specialty side events, different round structures showcased varied skill sets. The 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline featured two rounds of memorisation and execution, where Simon Kelly took first place with a winning single solve of 39.78, followed by Adam Bermingham at 1:05.38 and Enda Loftus at 1:06.16. Miłosz Andzel secured two event victories during the weekend, capturing the two-round Pyraminx with an average of 3.25 and the 3x3x3 One-Handed title with an 18.70 average. Austin Ritchie took first place in the Square-1 final with a 10.15 average, while Ronan Finke won the Skewb over three rounds with a 3.44 mark.

Beyond the title deciders, the tournament provided a platform for substantial personal progress across every level of the draw. Daniel Tyrrell tackled seven events, posting a 2x2x2 personal best of 1.86 that was 61.3 percent faster than his previous mark, while also cutting his 4x4x4 best by 42.5 percent to 1:22.22 and recording a first ever attempt in Square-1 at 1:18.53. Mariia Hurina registered a 43.6 percent improvement in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 1:18.77 alongside a first Megaminx solve of 3:26.81. Noel McNamara made his first 4x4x4 attempt in 2:15.96 and improved his 2x2x2 mark by 43.7 percent to 5.10, while Róisín Brennan delivered first career attempts in both the 5x5x5 Cube at 3:30.24 and Megaminx at 2:59.93.

Other competitors took on broad slates of disciplines with notable personal breakthroughs throughout the weekend. Callie LePage entered eight events, recording an opening attempt at Megaminx in 3:18.37, a first 4x4x4 attempt in 1:45.64, and a 3x3x3 best of 16.00 that was 20.2 percent faster than before. Oisin O'Sullivan completed six events, logging his first official solves in Pyraminx at 8.94, Skewb at 13.53, and Megaminx at 2:23.78 to finish 24th. Making a debut appearance at a WCA competition, Łukasz Siara took on five events and posted opening marks of 10.65 in Pyraminx and 35.62 in Square-1, while fellow debutant Micheál O'Callaghan marked his first official speed cubing experience with an opening 3x3x3 solve of 22.46 and a 2x2x2 result of 5.22.

The broad range of formats at Gort-a Go Fast 2024 challenged every competitor across short sprints, extended solves, and technical blindfold rounds. Ireland accounted for 31 podium placings across the program, alongside two for the United Kingdom. With multi-round brackets testing stamina and direct finals requiring instant precision, this cubing competition in Galway provided a comprehensive test across the modern roster of puzzles.