La Paz Masters 2024

Josias Milan Sirpa Pinto delivered a remarkable multi-puzzle performance at Parque de las Culturas, capturing four distinct event titles across the weekend to highlight an energetic gathering in La Paz, Bolivia. Across October 5 and October 6, 2024, a total of 78 competitors converged for 18 rounds of intense action spanning 10 official events. While Sirpa Pinto swept through both big cubes and side puzzles, the heart of the weekend was felt in the shared energy between rounds, where competitors gathered around practice tables to exchange techniques, scramble for one another, and celebrate milestones together.

The 3x3x3 Cube tournament, always the centerpiece of any WCA competition, drew a massive field of 75 competitors through three rounds of play. Luzio Batuani Conde rose to the top of the standings, claiming victory with a 10.05 second final average and a best single time of 8.69 seconds. Amaru Aloys Ancasi Pevec secured second place with an average of 10.84 seconds, while Xavier Antonio Balderrama took third with an 11.48 second mark. These 3x3 results capped a weekend of traditional Rubik's Cube solving that kept the competition floor engaged from the opening solves to the final group.

The official schedule provided plenty of variety, allowing specialists in alternative disciplines to demonstrate their craft. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, Peru's Fabián Nicolás Cáceres Herrera earned the title with an 18.18 second average, ahead of Balderrama at 20.88 and Batuani Conde at 21.18. Meanwhile, the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline challenged solvers to inspect and memorize the puzzle before donning blindfolds, where Juan Dilan Nina Magueño claimed the win with a single solve of 49.04 seconds, outpacing Cáceres Herrera's 1:05.45 and Joel Mamani Tumiri's 1:28.24.

Batuani Conde added another gold to his tally in the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a winning average of 34.09 seconds across two rounds, followed by Jhoel Ariel Espindola Perez with 41.57 and Abdiel Canaviri Ramirez with 42.22. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Jhersson Cabezas Luizaga captured the victory with a 3.31 second average across three rounds, edging Batuani Conde's 3.77 and Kevin Gustavo Sebastián Flores Bazagoitia's 4.08. In the mechanical Clock event, Matias Raúl Angulo Gutierrez secured top honors with an 8.29 second average, finishing with a best single of 6.93 seconds.

Sirpa Pinto's mastery extended across four distinct categories throughout the weekend. In the fast-paced Skewb event, he took first place with an average of 3.61 seconds and a single of 1.98 seconds. He then displayed incredible endurance on the big cubes, winning the 5x5x5 Cube with a 56.19 second average, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:38.08, and the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:44.84 average. Espindola Perez joined him on all three big cube podiums, claiming second place in the 5x5x5 Cube in 1:08.17, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:57.11, and the 7x7x7 Cube in 3:01.60.

Beyond the podium battles, La Paz Masters 2024 featured incredible personal breakthroughs from competitors across the field. Johan Mamani Pari showed massive growth by cutting his Skewb personal best down to 4.08 seconds, an improvement of 79.2 percent over his previous mark, while also dropping his 4x4x4 Cube best to 51.24 seconds and his 3x3x3 One-Handed time to 32.31 seconds. Cristofer Sebastian Aparicio Lopez took on five events, improving his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 41.3 percent to 24.33 seconds and logging his first ever official attempts in the 4x4x4 Cube at 43.14 seconds and the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:02.80. Álvaro Choque Mamani lowered his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 35.6 percent to 50.68 seconds and completed his first 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 2:09.82. Rafael Fernando Vasquez Gallo took fifth place in Clock with a first attempt of 10.36 seconds and lowered his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 44 percent to 3.76 seconds.

The spirit of trying new puzzles defined the weekend for many participants entering fresh events for the first time. Carlos Fabian Paredes Piriz tackled eight events during the tournament, recording a fifth-place finish in the 7x7x7 Cube with a first attempt of 8:48.40, alongside debut attempts in Skewb at 12.83 seconds and the 6x6x6 Cube at 4:51.70. Leonardo Javier Ledezma Chambi entered six events, finishing fourth in 3x3x3 Blindfolded while logging first attempts in the 4x4x4 Cube at 1:00.48, 3x3x3 One-Handed at 30.62 seconds, and the 5x5x5 Cube at 3:32.53. Newcomers also stepped up for their first official tournaments, with JoaquÍn Alejandro MartÍnez García taking on three events including a 23.10 second 3x3x3 Cube solve, and Samuel Valencia Choque completing his first official appearances in the 3x3x3 Cube at 26.56 seconds and 2x2x2 Cube at 7.60 seconds.

The tournament atmosphere throughout La Paz Masters 2024 highlighted the warm community bonds that make speed cubing such a unique pursuit. Competitors frequently stepped up to judge and run scorecards for fellow participants, offering quiet encouragement before solves and sharing post-round analysis. With 28 podium places claimed by Bolivian competitors and two by Peruvian entrants, the international camaraderie added a memorable layer to the two days of competition.

As the equipment was packed away at Parque de las Culturas, the participants left with new personal milestones, shared memories, and fresh motivation for upcoming events. The collective success of this cubing competition demonstrated the continued enthusiasm for speedcubing in the region, setting a vibrant standard for the community heading into the next season.