Honolulu Kupulau 2024

Fifty-four competitors gathered at Noelani Elementary School on May 11, 2024, for an action-packed day of twisting puzzles across thirteen rounds of play. While deliberate disciplines like Fewest Moves demand quiet concentration with pen and paper as solvers write out step-by-step solutions to minimise their turn count, Honolulu Kupulau 2024 leaned entirely into the raw velocity of standard speed events. The single-day WCA competition showcased seven different events, testing everything from the traditional Rubik's Cube to large layers and alternate shapes.

The 3x3 results at the top of the standings were defined by Matty Hiroto Inaba of the United States, who delivered a dominant performance in the premier event. Inaba secured first place in the 3x3x3 Cube with a winning average of 5.68 seconds and posted the fastest single solve of the entire discipline at 4.79 seconds. Yoji Ogura of Japan claimed second place on the podium with an 8.44 average, while Dylan Govic of the United States rounded out the top three by averaging 9.97 across the final round.

Inaba extended his dominance across the larger cubes, taking command of both the 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 events. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Inaba captured the gold with a 24.30 average and a best single time of 21.34 seconds, finishing well ahead of Ogura, who secured second with a 40.02 average, and Bobby D'Angelo in third at 41.86. Moving up to the 5x5x5 Cube, Inaba posted a winning average of 45.15 seconds, backed by a quick 40.24 single. Govic took the silver medal with a time of 1:17.32, closely followed by Anto Kam of Hong Kong in third at 1:17.74.

The short-format puzzles also featured Inaba atop the podium, as he secured his fourth victory of the day in the 2x2x2 Cube. Inaba claimed the title with a 2.37 average, holding off Anthony Carrillo, who took second place at 3.24 seconds, and Travis Dumaran, who finished third with a 3.25 average. Dumaran made his own major impact on the event earlier in the schedule, recording the fastest single of the competition at 1.76 seconds and an average of 2.57 during the opening round of play.

The single-handed and rotation-based events provided thrilling finishes of their own. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed division, Anto Kam earned the top spot for Hong Kong, averaging 9.65 seconds to edge past Inaba, who finished runner-up at 11.16, and Govic in third at 14.27. Meanwhile, the Skewb event ended in a tight battle decided by fractions of a second, with TJ Kelly winning the single-round event with a 4.66 average, narrowly beating Dumaran at 4.68 and Carrillo at 4.74. Dumaran then found victory in the Pyraminx, taking first place with a 3.87 average ahead of Cy Hamilton at 5.23 and Jack Okazaki at 6.93.

Away from the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule. CJ Chipchase made substantial progress throughout the day, dropping their 2x2x2 Cube personal best to 4.44 seconds, a massive 69 percent improvement over their previous 14.30 mark. Ryden Yagi shaved 58.6 percent off their previous 3x3x3 One-Handed record by stopping the timer at 27.59 seconds, while also posting a personal best of 12.51 in the 3x3x3 Cube. Joseph Carrillo cut their Pyraminx best down by 54.4 percent to 6.94 seconds, and Skyler Oshiro dropped their 2x2x2 mark by 50.5 percent to 3.65 seconds while making a first attempt at Pyraminx with a time of 6.55.

First-time event entries highlighted the ambition of the broader field throughout the weekend. Skyler Nguyen took on six different events at Honolulu Kupulau 2024, recording a first career attempt in the 4x4x4 Cube at 2:44.14 alongside a first 2x2x2 solve of 6.34 seconds. Alexandria Thau completed three events, logging a first Skewb attempt of 12.03 seconds and a first 2x2x2 result of 7.57 seconds. Making their official speed cubing debuts, Rex Gilbert tackled five events, opening their ledger with a 19.72 single in the 3x3x3 Cube, while Dolfie Lafrance entered two events, putting up an impressive 12.82 first attempt in the standard cube.

Across the day in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, competitors from the United States, Japan, and Hong Kong combined for seventeen podium positions for the host nation and two each for international visitors. The event showcased the full spectrum of modern speedcubing, balancing high-speed execution with technical precision across every format. As the 2024 season moves forward, Honolulu Kupulau 2024 stands out as a day filled with memorable personal bests, tight finishes, and exceptional four-title mastery.