Honolulu Hoʻoilo 2026

The competition floor inside the cafeteria at Noelani Elementary School hummed with focused activity on January 24, 2026. Stacks of puzzle mats lined the judging stations while timers clicked in steady rhythm throughout the single-day gathering in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. A field of 60 competitors arrived ready to test their skills across 7 official events, setting the stage for a lively slate of speedcubing action in the middle of the island winter.

A massive wave of newcomers defined Honolulu Hoʻoilo 2026, as numerous speed cubing participants took their first official turns under the lights. First-timers stepped up to the tables beside seasoned entrants, transforming the early rounds into an energetic showcase of burgeoning potential. With 13 rounds scheduled throughout the day, the cubing competition offered ample chances for rising solvers to benchmark their practice against official WCA competition standards.

The spotlight shone brightly on solvers charting significant milestones far beyond the trophy podium. Ka'ilihau Panquites delivered one of the weekend's most striking breakthroughs by registering a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 19.28 seconds, cutting 68.4 percent off a previous mark of 1:00.96, while also recording a first official attempt of 5.86 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube. Brayden Payes improved their Pyraminx personal best to 7.22 seconds, a 61.9 percent drop from 18.96, and set a 2x2x2 Cube mark of 5.69 seconds, which was 54.8 percent faster than before, alongside a first Skewb attempt of 13.22 seconds. Mordecai Zuo also made substantial strides, dropping their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 50 percent to 4.32 seconds and securing a first Skewb result of 9.98 seconds. Huxley Kyzer tackled 6 events, securing a 10th-place finish in Square-1 with a first attempt of 59.77 seconds, plus maiden attempts of 5.26 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube and 10.93 seconds in Skewb.

Other competitors marked unforgettable debuts and expanded their event repertoire at Honolulu Hoʻoilo 2026. Jordan Burns made their first WCA competition appearance, taking on 3 events with marks of 47.52 seconds on the classic Rubik's Cube, 12.41 seconds on 2x2x2 Cube, and 17.12 seconds on Pyraminx. Conor G. Bradley also made an official debut, recording 45.29 seconds in 3x3x3 Cube and 16.97 seconds in 2x2x2 Cube. Erin Nojima logged a first 4x4x4 Cube result of 1:35.65 and an initial Pyraminx average of 13.70 seconds, while Skyler Nguyen took on 7 events, finishing 7th in Skewb, establishing a first Square-1 result of 1:40.28, and bettering their 4x4x4 Cube mark to 56.41 seconds.

At the front of the pack, Travis Dumaran captured the blue-ribbon 3x3x3 Cube title after 3 competitive rounds. In the final stage, Dumaran posted a winning average of 8.70 seconds, backed by a best single of 7.04 seconds, leading the 3x3 results ahead of Mitchell Lane, who placed second with an 8.81 average, and Theo Masahiro Hirano, who secured third with a 9.68 average. Dumaran added a second tournament victory in Pyraminx, logging an average of 4.19 seconds to edge out Lane's 4.90 and Jack Okazaki's 5.46.

Mitchell Lane assembled a dominant run across the heavier puzzles, capturing three distinct titles across the day. Lane won the 4x4x4 Cube event with a 34.18 average and a best single of 32.22, leading David Lee at 38.76 and Dumaran at 39.65. Lane followed with a first-place finish in 5x5x5 Cube, averaging 1:03.85 with a single of 58.04, besting Kolby K. Odo's 1:11.81 and Enzo Xuan's 1:15.25. In the 12-competitor Square-1 field, Lane edged Xuan for the top spot with an average of 20.28 seconds to 20.36, while Okazaki placed third with 21.57.

The shorter events yielded fast-paced drama across the brackets. Jack Okazaki earned the 2x2x2 Cube title by posting a final average of 2.04 seconds and a single of 1.77, finishing ahead of Dumaran's 2.50 and Lane's 3.06. In Skewb, Anthony Carrillo topped the 17-competitor field with a winning average of 4.25 seconds and a single of 4.11, while Dumaran took second at 4.84 and Lane collected third at 5.02.

By the conclusion of Honolulu Hoʻoilo 2026, the 60 participants had produced a memorable day of racing in Honolulu. From the earliest newcomer heats to the decisive final rounds, the tournament highlighted both the established leaders and a deep roster of emerging talent ready for the next season of play.