Honolulu Nui a Makapō 2024

Matty Hiroto Inaba delivered a dominant masterclass across the big cubes to claim three titles, yet the battle for supremacy remained fiercely contested across the schedule. The one-day showdown brought 32 competitors together in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA on January 28, 2024, staging 12 rounds of intense action across seven demanding disciplines. With a stacked roster battling across multi-layered cubes and complex memory events, the meeting at the Manoa Public Library highlighted high-stakes regional speedcubing at its finest as top contenders traded blows on the podium steps.

The heavy machinery events became an arena for a direct duel between Inaba and Luke Garrett. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Inaba secured gold with a winning average of 47.08 seconds, backed by a best single of 41.49, holding off Garrett who placed second with a 51.70 average. Paul Mahvi followed closely in third at 53.92. This podium trio remained identical through the 6x6x6 Cube, where Inaba took top honors with a mark of 1:30.51 over Garrett at 1:39.17 and Mahvi at 1:41.58, and again in the 7x7x7 Cube, which Inaba won in 2:15.28 against Garrett's 2:31.72.

Garrett refused to let the weekend belong entirely to his rival, finding his vengeance across the specialty brackets. The 3x3x3 Multi-Blind saw Garrett mount a sensational effort, securing victory by solving 9 out of 11 puzzles in 55:15. David Akamine claimed the silver with 10 out of 16 cubes in 53:05, while Cary Huang took bronze with a clean 3 out of 3 in 7:45. The sheer mental endurance required in multi-blind solving made Garrett's triumph one of the most grueling feats witnessed at this cubing competition.

The Megaminx final delivered the closest contest of the entire gathering. Nico Harper (李有為) seized the championship by a razor-thin margin of one-tenth of a second, posting a winning average of 36.91 against Garrett's runner-up mark of 37.01, with Travis Dumaran rounding out the podium in 57.30. In the analytical 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest, Evan Brown topped the field with an efficient single of 27 moves, besting Erik Johnson and Garrett who tied for second place with scores of 30 moves each.

In the memory discipline of 3x3x3 Blindfolded, Mason Langenderfer took first place with a standout winning single of 37.76 seconds. Akamine secured another podium spot with a 57.91 single for second, while Huang took third place with a 1:03.69 single after recording a personal best single of 1:01.17 earlier in the rounds. The event proved to be a challenging test of focus, with Langenderfer and several other finalists registering DNF averages in their search for raw single speed.

Beyond the title fights, Honolulu Nui a Makapō 2024 gave several dedicated solvers the perfect platform to expand their repertoires and achieve personal milestones. Kealoha Morimoto tackled five events, finishing 16th in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, logging a first ever attempt at 6x6x6 Cube with 5:17.50, and smashing a Megaminx personal best of 1:33.78, which was 17.1 percent faster than their previous benchmark. Taitum Tanouye posted an impressive 16.5 percent drop in the 5x5x5 Cube down to 1:20.21, placed fourth in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, and logged debut attempts in both 6x6x6 Cube at 2:47.38 and 7x7x7 Cube at 4:31.03. Lucas Aubin improved their 5x5x5 Cube best by 12.1 percent to 1:50.95 while making first career attempts at 7x7x7 Cube in 9:14.39 and Megaminx in 3:35.31.

The personal breakthroughs continued across the roster throughout the afternoon. Zack Halsall took on four events, carving 11 percent off their Megaminx best to finish in 2:28.93 alongside a first 6x6x6 Cube effort of 7:54.93. Kolby K. Odo set a new 5x5x5 Cube personal best of 1:28.80, a 4.8 percent reduction, and debuted in both 6x6x6 Cube at 2:45.51 and 7x7x7 Cube at 4:26.31. TJ Kelly entered seven events, making a first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 2/4 in 16:13, finishing sixth, while lowering personal bests in 5x5x5 Cube to 1:45.08 and Megaminx to 1:51.28. Kevin Lumabao Calamayan made tournament debuts across three large puzzles, posting 1:52.87 in 5x5x5 Cube, 3:42.36 in 6x6x6 Cube, and 5:30.08 in 7x7x7 Cube. Bennett Tice also expanded into new territory, recording debut efforts of 3:06.12 in 5x5x5 Cube and 3:01.04 in Megaminx.

From classic Rubik's Cube variants to intricate blindfolded challenges, the tournament provided a comprehensive showcase of modern speed cubing skill. Competitors analyzed 3x3 results across the specialized formats and pushed each other through every solve. As the final brackets wrapped up, the gathering celebrated USA competitors sweeping all 21 available podium places across the seven events.

The energy and rivalries on display at Honolulu Nui a Makapō 2024 underlined the depth of the local and visiting talent in 2024. Whether battling for gold in the big cube finals or securing hard-earned milestones in niche events, every participant contributed to a memorable WCA competition. With records established and new event journeys started, solvers left the venue ready for the next chapter of competition.