Honolulu Hāʻulelau 2025

Inside Noelani Elementary School, the tables filled early on October 4, 2025, with timers humming and puzzle faces turning across the floor. Solvers from across the island community and visitors journeying thousands of miles across the ocean congregated for a packed single day of speedcubing in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Reaching an isolated archipelago in the middle of the Pacific requires dedicated journeys across expansive flight paths, making every major cubing competition in the region a vibrant cross-cultural junction where distant travelers and local enthusiasts share the same staging area.

A total of 44 competitors gathered for Honolulu Hāʻulelau 2025, taking on seven distinct disciplines across 14 rounds of action. The gathering served as a full-fledged WCA competition highlighting talent ranging from quick-turning sprinters to multi-layered strategists. United States competitors secured 17 podium places throughout the program, while visiting talent from Japan captured four podium positions, illustrating the wide reach of the event. The atmosphere captured the pure focus of speed cubing, where technical mastery met the calm patience required for high-stakes competition.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a large field of 43 competitors across three tense rounds, testing the classic Rubik's Cube solving capabilities of the roster. Enzo Xuan emerged victorious after putting together a winning average of 8.93 seconds, backed by an impressive best single solve of 7.68 seconds. Yuki Nomura finished second with an average of 9.06 seconds, while Theo Masahiro Hirano rounded out the top tier in third at 9.59 seconds. The official 3x3 results demonstrated how precise and narrow the margins were at the top of the standings.

Yuki Nomura delivered exceptional results in the heavier events, collecting victories in two separate categories. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Nomura led the 26 competitors through two rounds to claim first place with a winning average of 32.32 seconds and a single mark of 27.57 seconds, ahead of Anthony Carrillo at 40.90 seconds and Kolby K. Odo at 40.92 seconds. Nomura then added another triumph in 3x3x3 One-Handed, recording a winning average of 11.88 seconds alongside a single of 10.94 seconds, outpacing Enzo Xuan who averaged 19.65 seconds and Jack Okazaki at 22.72 seconds.

Jack Okazaki also enjoyed a standout day, capturing multiple titles across the shorter formats. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Okazaki posted a rapid winning average of 2.05 seconds with a single solve of 1.40 seconds across two rounds, finishing ahead of Theo Masahiro Hirano and Enzo Xuan. Okazaki then earned the Pyraminx crown by recording a winning average of 4.25 seconds and a single of 3.87 seconds, edging Yuki Nomura at 4.33 seconds and Anthony Carrillo at 4.98 seconds. Anthony Carrillo climbed to the top of the Skewb podium with an average of 4.67 seconds, followed by Okazaki at 5.26 seconds and Sherry Tao at 5.71 seconds.

Away from the main podium finishes, several competitors produced major individual breakthroughs. Preston Chambers dropped their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 2.14 seconds, which was 61.9 percent faster than their previous best mark of 5.62 seconds, while also trimming their 4x4x4 Cube mark to 1:17.24, a 44.5 percent improvement. Rohan Sudagar made a first ever attempt at Skewb with a 27.24 single and sliced their 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 42.1 percent down to 45.96 seconds. Riku Horiguchi improved their Pyraminx best by 40.1 percent to 13.19 seconds and their 3x3x3 Cube time by 23.4 percent to 30.50 seconds. Tyler Yamamoto registered a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a 9.27 mark, an initial Pyraminx solve of 15.68 seconds, and a 29.1 percent personal best improvement in the 3x3x3 Cube at 28.74 seconds.

The depth of progress continued across the roster as Connor Thurman tackled a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 39.40 seconds, improved their 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 29.4 percent to 21.28 seconds, and earned a sixth-place finish in the 3x3x3 Cube. Jacob Endo took on six events, logging a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with 38.33 seconds and improving their Skewb best by 19.2 percent to 12.81 seconds. First-time tournament competitors also jumped straight into multiple categories. Shahil Kumar Mungamuri completed their first WCA competition with initial attempts in four events, including 3x3x3 One-Handed in 39.17 seconds and 4x4x4 Cube in 1:17.75. Bodhi Akana also completed their debut tournament across three events, setting baseline marks of 24.78 seconds on the 3x3x3 Cube and 7.00 seconds on the 2x2x2 Cube.

The 3x3x3 Blindfolded event rounded out the specialty roster with seven competitors navigating the demanding challenge of memorization and execution without sight. David Akamine secured first place with a single time of 1:00.77. Abhimanyu Singhal took second place with a time of 1:29.00, while Jack Okazaki placed third on the podium with a solve of 5:01.96. Trevor Roberts also completed a first ever attempt in the blindfolded format, finishing fifth overall with a time of 8:40.75.

When the final tables were cleared, Honolulu Hāʻulelau 2025 left behind an impressive slate of personal accomplishments and competitive milestones. Solvers crossed long distances over land and sea to meet in Hawaii, testing their skills across puzzles of every shape and scale. With strong individual performances across every round, the gathering closed a memorable day of racing against the clock.