Kailua Liʻi Pōʻalua 2024

Evan Liu produced an uncontested clean sweep on August 13, 2024, taking top honours across all three disciplines on the schedule in Kailua, Hawaii, USA. While the quiet discipline of Fewest Moves often demands patient pen-and-paper analysis away from the clock, the action at Le Jardin Academy leaned entirely into rapid execution across a focused slate of events. Liu set the standard from his first solve of the day, securing victories in 3x3x3 Cube, Pyraminx, and Clock to command the entire gathering.

The 2024 cubing competition gathered an intimate field of 7 competitors for a single-round sprint across the three disciplines. Without the buffer of preliminary stages or multi-round endurance, every single turn counted toward the final podium standings. Liu delivered consistent form throughout, matching fast single solutions with controlled averages across varied puzzle formats to lead the overall tally for the United States.

In the classic Rubik's Cube event, 3x3 results confirmed Liu at the head of the pack with a winning average of 10.41 seconds. His round featured a best single solve of 9.10 seconds, which stood as the fastest mark across the entire competition. Jack Okazaki claimed second place on the podium with an average of 13.72 seconds, backed by a strong single effort of 9.63 seconds. Abhimanyu Singhal completed the podium in third place, recording an average of 15.36 seconds and a best single time of 12.87 seconds.

Behind the top three in the main event, the rest of the seven-player field registered their marks with steady efforts on the main stage. Chris Martin took fourth place in the 3x3x3 Cube standings with a 22.04 average and a 17.88 single. The event provided an energetic showcase of speed cubing technique, demonstrating fluent finger tricks and quick visual lookahead over the course of the single deciding round.

The competitive results table hides several milestone moments achieved by newcomers making their official debuts. Rowen Helms entered their first WCA competition here, tackling two disciplines and earning a best finish of fifth place in 3x3x3 Cube with a 34.51 average alongside a first ever attempt at Pyraminx of 11.45 seconds. Kaio Kai Henderson also made a series debut across two events, logging a first ever attempt of 18.00 in Pyraminx on the way to sixth place and a 39.32 mark on the standard cube. Owen D. Henderson V contested his first official meeting as well, putting up a first ever attempt of 32.84 seconds on 3x3x3 Cube to finish sixth overall.

In the Clock discipline, mechanical precision and dial manipulation were on full display as four entrants took to the tables. Evan Liu captured his second gold of the day with a winning average of 5.24 seconds, keyed by an opening or closing flurry that included a 4.28 single. Jack Okazaki earned his second silver medal of the meet with a 6.54 average and a best single of 6.12, while Chris Martin rounded out the top three with a 7.54 average and a 6.96 single.

The Pyraminx event rounded out the triangular puzzle slate with six competitors vying for the podium. Evan Liu once again climbed to the top step, delivering a 4.18 winning average alongside a quick 3.44 best single. Jack Okazaki secured another runner-up finish with an average of 5.66 seconds, while Abhimanyu Singhal took third place on the podium with an average of 6.94 seconds, replicating their positions from the standard cube.

With all three events contested in a single compressed session, Kailua Liʻi Pōʻalua 2024 demonstrated how an efficient, small-scale WCA competition can deliver high-level results and crucial experience for local speedcubing talent. The sweep by Liu capped an eventful day in Kailua, leaving the field with fresh personal benchmarks as preparations begin for the next season on the circuit.