North-East Melbourne March Saturday 2026

Australian competitors achieved an absolute sweep across every discipline at the Eltham Leisure Centre, claiming all nine podium spots available on March 7, 2026. The single-day speedcubing event gathered a bustling field in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, where local talent commanded the standings across all three featured categories. Leading the domestic charge was Roman Rudakov, who delivered a pair of gold-medal victories alongside a third-place finish in the classic Rubik's Cube final to anchor an extraordinary all-Australian sweep of the podiums.

The 2026 fixture, officially held as North-East Melbourne March Saturday 2026, brought together 105 competitors across seven total rounds of competition. The one-day cubing competition tested adaptability and pure dexterity across diverse formats, ranging from the twelve-sided Megaminx to lightning-fast sprint formats. With local representation dominant throughout the brackets, the event unfolded as a comprehensive showcase of national depth at this major WCA competition.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew the largest field of the meeting, with 103 competitors lining up across three intense rounds. When the finals concluded, Riley Dexter took top honours, producing a winning average of 6.59 seconds that stood clear of the chasing pack. Dexter also posted the single fastest solve of the event at 5.76 seconds. The 3x3 results rounded out with Tommy Kiprillis securing the second step on the podium with an average of 7.10 seconds, while Rudakov followed in third at 7.37 seconds.

Rudakov had already laid down an imposing standard earlier in the day during the 2x2x2 Cube event. Navigating two rounds against 86 competitors, Rudakov captured the title with a tournament-winning average of 1.11 seconds, supported by a blistering best single of 1.00 second. The battle for the remaining podium places in the two-layer puzzle came down to the thinnest of margins. Jacob Joshi and Andy Gong ended the round locked on identical averages of 1.59 seconds, earning second and third place respectively for the host nation.

The dodecahedral Megaminx introduced a test of sustained concentration across its two rounds of play, drawing 39 competitors to the tables. Rudakov once again controlled the field from the front, capturing his second gold medal with a winning average of 32.32 seconds and a benchmark single solve of 30.89 seconds. Nicholas Mouratidis followed in second place with an average of 39.51 seconds, while Kiprillis earned his second medal of the meeting by taking third place with a 45.92-second average.

Away from the headline podium sweeps, the competition generated remarkable personal milestones across the wider field. Jack D'Arcy took on three distinct events, registering a first ever attempt at Megaminx with a time of 3:14.45 while slashing his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 55 percent down to 6.47 seconds and his 3x3x3 Cube best by 23 percent to 32.63 seconds. Jesse Grayson enjoyed an outstanding 57.7 percent improvement in 3x3x3 Cube to set a personal best of 20.69 seconds, while Kiyaan Ajjan cut his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 57.6 percent down to 4.87 seconds. Joshua Renew took on three events and delivered a first Megaminx solve of 2:26.68 alongside a 31.3 percent leap in 3x3x3 Cube to record 22.66 seconds.

The depth of progress continued with Brighton Wong taking on three disciplines, submitting a debut Megaminx single of 2:00.89 and lopping 28.8 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best to reach 12.35 seconds. Archie Mott tackled three disciplines as well, logging a maiden Megaminx solve of 3:16.43 and improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 28.1 percent to 3.45 seconds. Zane Longney achieved a 39.1 percent personal best improvement in 2x2x2 Cube with a 2.80-second single, while Aditya Kashyap Gantimahapatruni logged a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 2.67 seconds and reduced his 3x3x3 Cube best by 13.2 percent to 8.72 seconds.

Beyond the top steps, a flurry of official results highlighted the fast conditions in the sprint discipline. In the 2x2x2 Cube event, single and average marks were notched by Gemma Tolhurst with a 2.04 single and 2.64 average, Xander Hynes with a 14.49 single and 19.13 average, and Riley Dexter, who clocked an explosive single of 0.89 seconds alongside a 1.87 average. Trần Nhã San of Vietnam logged marks of 5.00 and 7.53, while Jack D'Arcy, Charlie Handley, Charlie Delia, Luke Ross, and Ethan Stevens all added official times to the event ledger.

The concluding sessions of North-East Melbourne March Saturday 2026 cemented a memorable Saturday of speed cubing in Melbourne. Through seven well-contested rounds, the gathering highlighted both seasoned frontrunners and rapidly advancing entrants across the regional community. With full podium sweeps across all three featured disciplines, Australian solvers set a commanding benchmark as the season moves forward into the upcoming competition calendar.