Kolla Winter Cup 2024

Six gold medals from eight events defined an overwhelming weekend of speedcubing at the Kolla Winter Cup 2024 in Limassol, Cyprus on January 27, 2024. A field of 56 competitors gathered at the Kόλλα venue for 10 rounds of competition, but Poland solver Piotr Olszewski dictated the terms of nearly every bracket. His commanding run across small puzzles, big cubes, and side events set a relentless benchmark across the one-day gathering, anchoring a dominant display on the international stage.

The 2x2x2 Cube set the tone for Olszewski early in the schedule. Facing 44 competitors, the Polish standout delivered a winning average of 3.30 alongside a best single of 2.47 to claim the top spot. Daniel Gron of Cyprus pushed hard to finish runner-up with a 3.52 average and a 2.91 single, while Greece competitor Vasilis Prigkos secured third on the podium with a 3.68 mark and a 2.15 single. The tight podium highlighted the sharp margins at the front of the pack.

Olszewski extended his winning streak into the specialty events, claiming first place on the Pyraminx with a sharp 3.00 average and a best single of 2.03 across 40 competitors. Przemysław Rogalski took second place with a 4.21 average, followed by Daniel Gron in third at 6.48. In Clock, Olszewski secured another title with an average of 5.17 and a 4.64 single, holding off Rogalski who registered 5.50 for silver and Konstantin Jaehne of Germany who recorded 6.60 for bronze.

The complexity increased with the Megaminx, yet the outcome remained the same. Piotr Olszewski captured gold with an average of 1:01.04 and a single of 57.15 among 30 competitors. Przemysław Rogalski took the silver step with a 1:01.73 average, narrowly ahead of Ioannis Papadopoulos of Greece in 1:03.21. Poland collected ten podium placements across the tournament, led by this powerful one-two punch across multiple disciplines at the Kolla Winter Cup 2024.

The big cubes told a similar story of dominance. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Olszewski took first with a 1:05.30 average, besting Vasilis Prigkos who finished second in 1:11.37, while Rogalski earned third in 1:20.28. Moving up to the 7x7x7 Cube, Olszewski locked up his sixth tournament victory by averaging 3:13.33 over 15 competitors. Prigkos took second place with 3:33.89, and Amitai Ziv of Israel rounded out the podium with a 3:52.86 mark in an impressive test of endurance.

Away from the top steps, personal milestones and intense schedules enriched the cubing competition. Eftichios Michael tackled six events, dropping his Clock mark by 80.6 percent to a personal best of 13.07, cutting his Rubik's Cube time to 14.18, and logging a first ever attempt at Megaminx in 3:11.05. Ioannis Christou also took on six disciplines, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 38.7 percent to 3.50, his 5x5x5 Cube result to 2:27.96, and his Clock time to 16.37. Mikhail Lavrentev improved his 2x2x2 Cube time to 5.00, his 5x5x5 Cube to 3:16.42, and his Pyraminx to 9.02, while Michalis Papakyriakou tackled eight events, setting a Megaminx personal best of 1:38.10 alongside a first 3x3x3 Blindfolded attempt of 6:54.30.

New challenges defined the day for several other athletes at this WCA competition. Theoharis Delidis took on six events, recording a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube with a 2.65 single, alongside first attempts in Pyraminx at 6.12 and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:08.50. Vladislav Bender achieved a personal best of 4:03.74 in the 7x7x7 Cube and logged a first 5x5x5 Cube attempt of 1:40.88. First-time tournament competitors made immediate marks, as Philippos Violaris entered six events with a first 3x3x3 Cube attempt of 22.30, and Oliver Šubrt completed five events, highlighted by a first Megaminx result of 3:11.67.

Specialist focus broke through in the blindfolded category, where David Trüber of Germany won the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event with a 52.71 single, navigating the mental challenge of solving without sight. Sotiris Kkaras of Cyprus took second place with 1:50.87, and Konstantin Jaehne took third in 1:57.85. The single-round format tested nerve and execution across the nine entrants, offering a stark tactical contrast to the speed cubing sprints earlier in the day.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event provided the primary check on Polish control at the Kolla Winter Cup 2024. Greece competitor Vasilis Prigkos delivered a winning performance, topping the 3x3 results across three rounds and 55 competitors with a 7.87 final average and a 6.94 single. Amit Schori of Israel claimed second with a 10.37 average, and Daniel Gron earned third in 10.98. The vibrant gathering at the Kolla Winter Cup 2024 wrapped up after ten full rounds, delivering high-level solving across all formats.