Oklahoma Afternoon Twist 2024

Ray Bai turned in a commanding three-victory performance in Norman, Oklahoma, USA, asserting complete control over the field across multiple puzzles. The single-day WCA competition took place at Oklahoma Memorial Union on July 6, 2024, bringing together 30 competitors across five events and nine rounds of high-pressure solving. Bai set the standard early and maintained it throughout the day, walking away with first-place honors in three separate disciplines and earning podium placements in every single event entered.

The centerpiece of the tournament was the classic Rubik's Cube, where Bai secured the top step of the podium with a decisive winning average of 7.35 seconds. Across two rounds of competition against 30 entrants, Bai also delivered the fastest single solve of the entire discipline at 5.65 seconds. The 3x3 results confirmed a comfortable margin of victory over Jake Maddox, who claimed second place with an average of 9.16 seconds, and Casey Ngo, who rounded out the podium in third with an average of 9.35 seconds.

Beyond the traditional three-layered puzzle, Oklahoma Afternoon Twist 2024 showcased remarkable breadth and technical versatility. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Bai outpaced a field of 19 solvers over two rounds to claim another title, recording a winning average of 51.17 seconds alongside a tournament-best single of 48.77 seconds. Jose Ortiz Jr. took second place with an average of 1:01.12, while Lydia Workman claimed third in 1:02.30. Bai added a third victory in Square-1, averaging 11.91 seconds with a best single of 10.28 seconds in a single 18-competitor round, finishing ahead of Michael S. Lander at 12.52 seconds and Casey Ngo at 13.23 seconds.

The shorter formats brought intense speed cubing action where fractions of a second separated the contenders. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Kaden Christopher Dockins took the championship title with a winning average of 2.09 seconds across two rounds of 28 competitors, highlighted by a blistering best single of 1.04 seconds. Conner Duval locked in second place with an average of 2.68 seconds, edging out Bai who also posted a 2.68 second average for third place. Dockins logged a 1.86 single and 2.25 average in the event, leading a tightly contested bracket.

Pyraminx action proved equally fierce across two rounds featuring 25 entrants. Marcus Kamen captured the event victory with a rapid 2.52 second winning average and the best single time of the tournament at 1.19 seconds. Jaxon Wright secured the silver spot on the podium with a 3.51 average, while Bai completed his sweep of top-three finishes across all five events on the roster by earning third place with a 4.57 average. United States competitors swept all 15 available podium positions across the tournament schedule.

Away from the championship finals, the heart of the cubing competition lived in the massive personal leaps achieved across the roster. Jeffrey Woolston delivered an extraordinary leap in the 2x2x2 Cube, logging a personal best single of 0.65 seconds, which was 77.9 percent faster than his prior best of 2.94. Colin Berryhill took on four events, slashing his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 56.5 percent down to 13.99 seconds while recording his first official attempts in the 2x2x2 Cube at 7.96 seconds and the 5x5x5 Cube at 2:41.43. Jake Miller registered a Pyraminx personal best of 4.46 seconds, an improvement of 50.8 percent.

Several other competitors marked notable breakthroughs during Oklahoma Afternoon Twist 2024. Ivan Ruiz posted a personal best of 4.52 seconds in Pyraminx, cutting his prior mark by 50.5 percent. Lee Bird dropped their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 45.3 percent to 24.06 seconds. Caden Tullous took on five events and posted a 2x2x2 Cube best of 1.49 seconds, 45 percent faster than before, along with a 1:49.30 in the 5x5x5 Cube. Nighean Maynard dropped their 3x3x3 Cube time by 32 percent to 19.33 seconds and tried 2x2x2 for the first time with a 7.61, while Cal Cayot tackled their first speedcubing tournament across four events, logging debut marks of 13.60 in 3x3x3 Cube and 26.97 in Square-1.

The single-day format tested consistency, focus, and stamina across all nine rounds of play. From the opening scrambles to the final podium presentations, Oklahoma Afternoon Twist 2024 delivered high drama for both seasoned championship contenders and emerging talents finding their rhythm on the competitive stage as another memorable season of tournament play rolls forward.