Meath for Speed 2024

Ciarán Beahan delivered an emphatic masterclass across the weekend, claiming a triple crown of titles punctuated by an outstanding 6.58 average in the marquee 3x3x3 Cube final. Navigating an intensely stacked field, Beahan combined blazing speed with unwavering consistency to take the flagship event, securing a best single of 5.83 along the way. His dominance set the standard during Meath for Speed 2024, an expansive gathering held at Ashbourne Community School in Meath, Ireland, on October 12 and 13, 2024.

The sheer scale of the weekend made every qualification berth a hard-fought prize. Across 15 rounds of competition in 9 separate disciplines, a total of 114 competitors tested their limits. The standard classic Rubik's Cube drew a massive lineup of 105 entrants, demanding three grueling rounds to whittle down the contenders to the podium finalists. Narrow margins and intense pressure characterized the elimination rounds, emphasizing the remarkable depth present across every tier of the cubing competition.

Beahan was not content with just the main title, carrying his electric form into the big cubes as well. In the 4x4x4 Cube, which featured 69 participants, he topped the standings with a winning average of 25.16 and a single of 23.28. He followed that up with another gold in the 5x5x5 Cube, besting 53 rivals with an average of 42.77 and a single of 41.53. Cillian Hainbach provided stiff resistance in all three long-format finals, capturing runner-up spots with 7.55 in the 3x3 results, 28.18 in the 4x4x4, and 57.95 in the 5x5x5.

Short-format puzzles brought equally fierce battles in packed brackets. The 2x2x2 Cube featured 101 entrants over three rounds, where Lucas Patrick Dowling surged to victory with a blazing 1.67 average, edging out Kalin Doherty at 1.80. Doherty had earlier turned heads with an electric 0.91 single. Meanwhile, William Carey navigated a crowded field of 78 to secure the Skewb crown with a 3.02 average, ahead of Hugo McGrath at 3.62 and Ben Timmons at 3.97, completing an all-Irish sweep of the podium.

Beyond the traditional cubes, alternate twists tested versatility. Enda Loftus claimed the Pyraminx title against 94 competitors across two rounds, averaging 2.40 with a best single of 1.73. In Clock, Namuun Natsagdorj of Mongolia averaged 4.92 over two rounds to defeat Seán O'Toole at 5.08. India's Prabhav Rajaram Nayak won the Megaminx with a decisive 35.25 average, while Adam Bermingham took the Square-1 title with a 10.95 average, besting United Kingdom's Henry Martin at 12.46.

While champions collected medals, significant personal milestones unfolded across the tables as competitors made major breakthroughs. Ryan Biggs cut his 2x2x2 Cube mark down to 4.28, an improvement of 63.1 percent over his previous best, while also logging his first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 9.80. Dylan Grimes dropped his 2x2x2 Cube personal record by 54.8 percent to 8.69, took his 3x3x3 Cube best to 44.21, and completed a debut Pyraminx solve in 12.63. Igor Chojnacki knocked 48.7 percent off his Pyraminx best to reach 7.16, lowered his 3x3x3 Cube best to 8.85 on his way to 16th place, and tackled his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:09.92. Elijah Gillespie took on six events, slicing 45.5 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube mark to 3.96, trimming his 4x4x4 Cube best by 42.6 percent to 1:16.14, and recording a first Megaminx solve of 2:34.32.

The personal milestones continued across a variety of disciplines as solvers expanded their competitive repertoire. Evan McDermott dropped his Clock mark by 44.3 percent down to 10.85 and registered first attempts at both 4x4x4 Cube in 2:21.77 and Megaminx in 3:10.69. Eoin McCooey lowered his Clock personal best by 41.1 percent to 18.01, reduced his Pyraminx best to 12.70, and took on his first 4x4x4 Cube solve in 2:14.15 across seven events. Isaac McCormack took 36.8 percent off his Skewb best to reach 9.43, alongside debut solves in Pyraminx at 8.52 and Clock at 16.97. Cian Collins lowered his 3x3x3 Cube time by 32.1 percent to 19.25, improved his 2x2x2 Cube best to 7.89, and registered his first Skewb attempt in 12.04.

The official WCA competition concluded with host nation Ireland earning 17 total podium finishes, supported by podium appearances from India, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. From the lightning-fast turns of the short formats to the endurance required in the big cubes, Meath for Speed 2024 proved that speed cubing continues to flourish with immense depth, leaving every competitor with valuable experience as the wider speedcubing calendar moves forward.