Melbourne Summer 2024

382 competitors packed Diamond Creek Community Bank Stadium from January 19 to January 21, creating one of the grandest weekends of speedcubing Australia has witnessed. Across three full days of action in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the schedule pushed contenders through 17 events and 36 rounds. From the opening moves on Friday morning to the marquee finals on Sunday afternoon, the tournament showcased precision solving at the highest tier of the sport, drawing enthusiasts together for an intense test of nerve, speed, and endurance.

Friday opened the campaign with marathon challenges and niche disciplines. Jayden McNeill secured the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves title with an efficient 23.00 average, barely edging David Epstein at 23.67 and Max Parris at 26.00 across the single-round contest. In the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind event, Michael Tripodi achieved an exceptional winning single by solving 34 of 45 puzzles under the strict 59:22 time limit. Charlie Eggins immediately established his blindfolded dominance by claiming the 4x4x4 Blindfolded crown with a 1:57.87 single ahead of Tripodi and Chenhao Sun.

Saturday elevated the pace as the larger puzzle brackets and specialist formats took center stage. Tymon Kolasiński began his extraordinary weekend sweep across the big cubes, winning the 5x5x5 Cube with a 39.78 average, the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:10.76, and the 7x7x7 Cube with a 1:57.10 mark. Meanwhile, Eggins extended his mastery by securing the 5x5x5 Blindfolded title with a single of 8:42.75, cementing a remarkable weekend in sightless solving. The middle day demonstrated the immense breadth demanded at Melbourne Summer 2024 as entrants shuffled between diverse formats.

The energy inside the arena reached a peak during Sunday afternoon as the sprint finals unfolded. In the flagship 3x3x3 Cube, featuring 371 competitors across four rounds, Tymon Kolasiński posted a blistering 5.81 average and a 5.34 single to capture the championship. Feliks Zemdegs took the runner-up spot with a 6.22 average, while Riley Dexter rounded out the podium at 6.56. These 3x3 results capped a dominant showing by Kolasiński, who also took top honors in the 4x4x4 Cube with a 21.74 winning mark.

Away from the championship finals, Melbourne Summer 2024 provided a platform for competitors expanding their repertoires across unfamiliar events. Josiah Levchenko tackled 11 disciplines and notched a massive personal best of 13.13 in Square-1, cutting 65.5 percent off his previous benchmark of 38.08, while also making his first career attempts in 6x6x6 Cube with 4:05.88 and 7x7x7 Cube with 7:23.39. Mia Bangay took on 12 events, logging her first official times in Clock at 14.32, Skewb at 5.31, and 5x5x5 Cube at 2:35.85, alongside a 78th-place finish in Fewest Moves.

Other dedicated solvers embraced similarly packed schedules across the three days. Henry Jude Miller entered 10 events, finishing 14th in 4x4x4 Blindfolded and completing his first attempts in One-Handed at 1:18.81, 4x4x4 Cube at 2:07.70, and Megaminx at 3:43.30. Hayden Wai attempted Megaminx for the first time at 4:08.03, 4x4x4 Cube at 1:39.05, and Clock at 17.83. Luke Ross recorded debut marks in Pyraminx at 8.48, One-Handed at 49.56, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:57.58. Charlie Handley contested 12 events, setting initial marks in Square-1 at 27.66, 6x6x6 Cube at 4:39.63, and Clock at 7.61. Matthew Jackson registered new attempts in Megaminx at 2:32.57, 7x7x7 Cube at 9:36.44, and Clock at 25.08, while Hannah Jackson entered 14 events and logged maiden times in Clock at 33.75, 6x6x6 Cube at 9:56.29, and Megaminx at 2:48.49.

The short-format brackets delivered sharp drama throughout Sunday. Bryan Eng took the 2x2x2 Cube title with a 1.49 average, defeating Alexander Vujcich at 1.56 and Thomas Atkins at 1.67. Sebastian Lee claimed Pyraminx in 1.51 ahead of Dexter at 2.22 and Dash Cannon at 2.26. In Clock, Alex Butera triumphed with a 4.30 average, besting Conan Mo at 4.73 and Avery Graham at 5.39. Skewb went to Eli Panetta with a 2.54 average, while Chris Mills claimed 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 10.86 average, holding off Dexter and Eng.

Eggins completed a blindfolded sweep by winning the 3x3x3 Blindfolded final with a 15.89 average, leading Theodore Chan and Tripodi. In other specialized events, Alexander Vujcich captured Megaminx in 31.74, while David Epstein secured Square-1 with a 7.12 average. Across 17 total disciplines at this massive WCA competition, host nation Australia earned 37 podium positions, with Poland claiming 5, New Zealand 4, Singapore 2, China 2, and Germany 1.

The expansive program concluded with memorable milestones across every bracket, proving the depth of the local and international field. Whether solving a classic Rubik's Cube with both hands, mastering complex sightless methods, or testing speed cubing reflexes on miniature puzzles, solvers found room to excel. Melbourne Summer 2024 stands out as a defining 2024 cubing competition, setting a high standard of excellence and community participation for the rest of the year.