Newcomers Costa Rica 2024

Andrés Irías Li delivered the definitive performance of the meet by capturing the premier 3x3x3 Cube title with a clinical 8.90 winning average. His standout mark set the tone for a vibrant single-day cubing competition inside Paseo Metrópoli in Cartago, Costa Rica. On April 6, 2024, the shopping complex hall transformed into an active arena for local talent, welcoming a focused field of 45 competitors across five distinct events. Fans and curious passersby gathered around the staging tables as competitors moved through seven scheduled rounds of intense puzzle solving.

The venue provided an energetic backdrop for Newcomers Costa Rica 2024, where the continuous clatter of turning plastic resonated across the commercial concourse. Enthusiasts of the classic Rubik's Cube assembled to test their skills in an official WCA competition setting that balanced intense tournament focus with an inviting atmosphere for emerging solvers. With five official disciplines condensed into a single Saturday, the action shifted rapidly from traditional two-handed puzzles to specialized hardware, keeping the station judges and timers constantly engaged.

In the flagship event, Irías Li anchored the 3x3 results across three competitive rounds featuring 44 entrants. His best single of 7.97 seconds served as the standard of the day, allowing him to secure the title ahead of Jason Conejo Aguilar, who claimed the runner-up spot with a 9.94 average. Christian Rodríguez rounded out the podium in third place with an average of 10.15, completing an all-Costa Rican top tier that highlighted the nation's steady progress in regional speedcubing.

Jason Conejo Aguilar emerged as the busiest champion of the gathering, claiming two event victories. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Conejo Aguilar posted a winning average of 3.02 alongside a best single of 2.49, edging out Christian Rodríguez, who logged a 3.38 average, and Andres Sanchez Ponce, who took third in 3.84. Conejo Aguilar returned to the top step in Pyraminx, winning the 26-competitor event with a 2.80 average and a rapid 1.76 single, besting Isaí Abarca Smith at 3.28 and Fabricio Guerrero Villalobos at 6.02.

The remaining short-format disciplines saw fierce battles among familiar contenders. Andres Sanchez Ponce secured victory in Skewb, recording an average of 5.00 and a best single of 4.16 across a field of 18 competitors. Christian Rodríguez took second in 6.41, while Isaí Abarca Smith placed third in 6.76. Rodríguez earned his own gold medal in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, solving with remarkable control to register a 13.87 winning average and a 12.49 single to outpace Gabriel Cerdas Zúñiga at 17.42 and Conejo Aguilar at 20.22.

Beyond the championship podiums, the event highlighted remarkable progress throughout the ranks. David Jesús Chavarría Vargas took on three events and slashed his Pyraminx personal best to 3.19, an improvement of 55.8 percent over his previous mark, while finishing sixth overall. Fabián Alonso Madriz Chaves entered five disciplines, cutting his Pyraminx best by 67.6 percent down to 3.54 and trimming his Skewb mark by 33.9 percent to 9.67. Matías José Elizondo Chinchilla improved his one-handed average by 28.8 percent to 38.05 and posted his first official Pyraminx attempt at 12.69. Maximiliano López Mora also registered his first Pyraminx solve at 10.38 while improving his 3x3x3 Cube personal record by 30.6 percent to 19.39.

Several competitors embraced brand new challenges on the tournament floor. In his first official speed cubing appearance, Leiner Johan Soto Rojas completed four events, finishing fifth overall in 3x3x3 Cube while recording his first official marks in 2x2x2 Cube at 4.13, Pyraminx at 6.27, and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 22.16. First-timer Sofía Sánchez González logged three new event marks, including a 15.79 in Pyraminx. Saúl Martin Rodríguez tackled four disciplines, delivering a first Pyraminx solve of 10.62 alongside a 27.3 percent improvement in 2x2x2 Cube to 10.30. Mathias Schieler Guillen expanded his repertoire across four events, logging his first one-handed single at 1:06.04 and his first Pyraminx time of 10.81.

The tournament concluded with Costa Rican athletes sweeping all 15 podium positions across the five disciplines contested. The single-day schedule demonstrated the depth of the local solving community in Cartago, balancing high-speed execution at the championship tables with notable milestones for developing participants. As the tables cleared at Paseo Metrópoli, the 2024 season in the region gained meaningful momentum from an afternoon of strong tactical solving and widespread personal bests.