Olympia Classic 2024

One hundred and forty competitors arrived at Olympia High School as the spring speedcubing calendar reached a critical juncture. For solvers tracking their mid-year momentum across the Pacific Northwest, Olympia Classic 2024 on May 5, 2024, delivered a dense schedule packed into a single intense day. Ten rounds across five separate events tested both sprinting speed and multi-layered puzzle proficiency in Olympia, Washington, USA. With the tournament year now in full swing, contenders used this WCA competition to test their setups against sharp regional fields before the high-stakes summer stretch.

The story at the top of the standings belonged almost entirely to Asher Kim-Magierek, who put together a commanding multi-discipline performance. In the classic 3x3x3 Cube, the premier discipline featuring 137 entrants across three rounds, Kim-Magierek took the title with a 6.61 winning average and logged the day's best single solve at 5.04. Jack Desloge secured the runner-up position on the podium with a 7.35 average, while Sameer Aggarwal finished close behind in third place at 7.50, completing a fiercely contested battle in the official 3x3 results.

Kim-Magierek carried that same rapid pace into the smaller puzzle categories. In the 2x2x2 Cube, a 110-competitor sprint spanning two rounds, he secured first place with a 1.89 final average and delivered an event-best single solve of 1.45. Greyson James placed second with a swift 1.94 average, edging Aggarwal, who locked in third on a 2.09 average. The discipline saw a flurry of rapid attempts throughout the earlier stages, with Kim-Magierek clocking a 0.87 single and a 1.47 average, Aggarwal logging a 1.16 single, and Ian Cantius Fredric producing a 1.49 mark.

The larger hardware and specialized disciplines continued the trend of tight margins at Olympia Classic 2024. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Kim-Magierek edged Aggarwal in an exceptionally close single-round contest, posting a winning average of 28.82 against Aggarwal's 28.86, while James collected third place on a 36.35 average. Switching to one hand on the standard Rubik's Cube, Kim-Magierek struck gold again in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, putting up a decisive 10.25 winning average to lead Aggarwal at 14.21 and Ash Black at 14.92 over two rounds of play.

Aggarwal flipped the script in the Square-1 event, denying Kim-Magierek a clean sweep across the entire tournament roster. Navigating two rounds against 35 competitors, Aggarwal clinched the victory with a 5.96 average and a tournament-best single of 4.88. Kim-Magierek captured second place with a 7.95 average, while Canada's Bailing Hou claimed third on an 11.97 average, earning the only non-United States podium spot of the day as American competitors claimed 14 of the 15 available top-three placements.

Away from the championship hardware, several competitors unlocked major personal milestones across the tournament floor. Levi Hall took on a full slate of five events, notching a 32nd-place finish in 2x2x2 Cube, completing a first official attempt in Square-1 in 1:04.43 and 3x3x3 One-Handed in 35.60, while cutting his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 58.9 percent to 57.83. Elijah Shin also tackled five events, finishing 19th in 2x2x2 Cube with a new personal best of 2.10, cutting his Square-1 best by 55.3 percent to 20.37, and recording a first attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 53.32. Holden Pfeiffer improved his Square-1 mark by 48.7 percent to 35.41 and logged a first one-handed attempt in 48.61, while Gabriel Croasdill reduced his 4x4x4 Cube personal best by 43.4 percent to 1:11.92 and clocked a 21.74 debut single in 3x3x3 One-Handed.

The personal breakthroughs continued across the speed cubing ranks as the rounds unfolded. Eugene Hwang entered four events, posting an 18.34 personal best in 3x3x3 Cube to improve by 36.7 percent, alongside initial official marks of 1:45.97 in 4x4x4 Cube and 41.78 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Geo Durocher achieved an 18th-percent drop in 3x3x3 Cube down to 12.73 and logged opening career attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 3.14 and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:20.29. Nick Bench logged his first 4x4x4 Cube solve in 1:17.88 and first one-handed solve in 29.30, while Dylan L. Bennett chopped 50.6 percent from his 2x2x2 Cube record with a new mark of 3.96.

With ten complete rounds concluded in a single afternoon, Olympia Classic 2024 served as an effective benchmark for the region's top solvers and rising talents alike. The blend of seasoned podium regulars and dedicated puzzle enthusiasts pushing their personal boundaries highlighted the strength of the Washington speedcubing circuit. As the 2024 competitive season moves forward into summer, the fast marks recorded in Olympia provide a solid foundation for the challenges waiting in upcoming tournaments.