NZ South Island Championship 2024

0.62 seconds was all that separated the top step of the podium from second place in the premier event at Queenstown Memorial Centre. The NZ South Island Championship 2024 gathered 61 competitors across 15 events and 29 rounds from April 19 to April 21, 2024, delivering one of the most closely contested tournaments of the season. In the classic Rubik's Cube final, Tee Kai Yang of Malaysia posted a winning average of 6.55 seconds, holding off a fierce challenge from New Zealand solver Alexander Vujcich, who registered a 7.17 average. Jasper Murray rounded out the podium with a 7.37 mark, completing a high-calibre display where every single turn mattered.

The 3x3 results capped three rounds of intense speedcubing in Queenstown, New Zealand. Tee also logged the best single solve of the event at 5.74 seconds across the 58-person field. The close margin in the 3x3x3 Cube set the tone for an action-packed schedule at this WCA competition, where podium places were fiercely contested and competitors pushed each other across multiple formats. New Zealand competitors collected 37 podium places over the weekend, while Malaysia claimed three, and China, Korea, and the Philippines each earned one.

Beyond the flagship puzzle, Alexander Vujcich proved to be a dominant force across the mid-range and twisty events at the NZ South Island Championship 2024. Vujcich secured victory in the 5x5x5 Cube final with a winning average of 49.72 seconds, which included a tournament-best single of 48.16 seconds, finishing ahead of Dwyane Ramos at 52.77 and Jasper Murray at 53.04. Vujcich also took top honours in Megaminx, recording an average of 29.87 seconds with a rapid 25.41 single solve, while Brandon Harris took second in 39.49 and Murray claimed another bronze in 43.56.

Dwyane Ramos delivered an exceptional campaign across multiple puzzle categories, finishing the cubing competition with a total of five victories. Ramos clinched the 3x3x3 One-Handed title with a 9.85 winning average and an 8.39 single, alongside a Skewb triumph averaging 3.31 seconds. He added a Square-1 gold with a 9.62 average and swept the large cubes, posting a 1:37.99 average to win the 6x6x6 Cube ahead of Henry Eyles and Angela Braganza, before winning the 7x7x7 Cube in 2:34.77, also ahead of Eyles and Braganza.

Shorter formats and specialized disciplines also generated sharp speed cubing action throughout the weekend. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Connor Johnson emerged victorious from a 51-person bracket with a 1.85 winning average and a best single of 1.70. Elyas Eyou claimed the Clock title with an average of 4.22 seconds, highlighted by a single solve of 3.67. Angela Braganza showcased brilliant execution in the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a 27.69 winning average to take the crown, backed by an event-best single of 24.26 seconds.

Away from the championship podiums, several solvers seized the opportunity to expand their repertoires and set notable milestones across the 2024 program. Mehul Pankaj Girhotra entered eight events at the NZ South Island Championship 2024, recording a first ever attempt in the 5x5x5 Cube of 3:45.95, a first Clock attempt of 21.90, and an opening 3x3x3 One-Handed mark of 46.71. Lucas Harnett tackled nine events, earning a 5th-place result in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind while posting a massive Skewb personal best of 5.29 seconds, improving by 65.9 percent over a previous mark of 15.51, alongside debut attempts in one-handed and Megaminx. Rory Bailey entered 12 events, finishing 4th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a maiden 2:06.12 attempt while logging first-ever attempts in both the 6x6x6 Cube and 7x7x7 Cube. Oliver Ren achieved a personal best of 23.68 seconds in Square-1, a 47.3 percent drop from 44.94, and cut his Skewb mark by 17.1 percent to 6.03.

Gabe Smith took on 10 events, finishing 8th in Skewb while logging first attempts in the 6x6x6 Cube, Square-1, and Megaminx. Konnor Shan recorded a Skewb personal best of 5.95 seconds, a 19 percent improvement, while completing first attempts in Clock and the 5x5x5 Cube. Making their first WCA competition appearances, Don' Giovanni Alfredo Austin-Moorhouse tackled eight events, setting an initial 3x3x3 mark of 15.73 and a 4x4x4 single of 54.71, while Eddy Forster took on five events, completing a 2x2x2 single of 5.37 and a Megaminx mark of 4:04.88.

The blindfolded events tested concentration and recall, with James Macdiarmid producing a standout showing in the multi-cube discipline. Macdiarmid resolved 42 out of 47 cubes in 58 minutes and 30 seconds to win the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, ahead of Korea's Eum Paul with 16 of 20 in 56:57 and Ramos with 8 of 12 in 42:43. Macdiarmid also won the standard 3x3x3 Blindfolded event with a best single of 23.33 seconds. In the larger blindfolded challenges, Oscar Childs and Aneurin Hunt finished level atop the 4x4x4 Blindfolded and 5x5x5 Blindfolded standings.

With 15 events successfully concluded, the NZ South Island Championship 2024 highlighted the incredible depth and competitive spirit of the regional scene. From Tee Kai Yang's tense victory in the 3x3x3 Cube to Dwyane Ramos's five gold medals and the numerous personal bests set throughout the lower rounds, Queenstown Memorial Centre delivered three full days of top-tier speedcubing. As competitors look ahead to the next season, the standard across both classic and modern events continues to climb.