Only Cubes in Wellington 2024

Fifty-eight competitors gathered at Victoria University of Wellington on September 14 and 15, 2024, setting the stage for a showcase of speedcubing across twenty-one rounds. Hosted at the Kelburn Campus, Only Cubes in Wellington 2024 delivered an exceptional weekend for the host nation. New Zealand athletes claimed every single one of the thirty-three available podium positions across eleven disciplines. The domestic clean sweep began at the top and continued right down through the rankings, turning the Wellington, New Zealand contest into a comprehensive celebration of local talent.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew all fifty-eight entrants into a three-round test on the classic Rubik's Cube. Henry Eyles captured the main title, posting a winning average of 7.60 seconds alongside the weekend's best single of 7.39 seconds. Matthew Yang took second place with an 8.53 average, while Dwyane Ramos locked in third with 8.61. The 3x3 results highlighted intense pacing at the sharp end of the table, setting the tone for a busy slate of events across both days of this WCA competition.

Beyond the main event, Eyles and Ramos developed a gripping duel across several major categories. Eyles dominated the middle and big cubes, winning the 4x4x4 Cube with a 29.17 average and a 27.55 single, while Ramos placed second at 30.24 and Yang took third at 32.87. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Eyles struck again with a 52.72 average to edge Ramos, who clocked 53.73, while Jack McDougall placed third with a 1:04.69 average. Eyles capped his individual haul by taking the Square-1 crown with an average of 9.76 seconds.

Ramos answered back with an impressive series of victories across both short and long puzzles. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Ramos secured first place with a 9.73 average, leading Eyles at 14.74 and Yang at 15.52. Ramos also captured the 2x2x2 Cube title in 2.06 seconds, staying ahead of Levi Hetherington at 2.25 and Yang at 2.36. Taking on the heaviest hardware, Ramos claimed the 6x6x6 Cube in 1:39.39 and topped the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:22.28 average, finishing ahead of Eyles at 2:39.62 and McDougall at 3:16.67.

Specialist solving delivered further hardware to New Zealand competitors in the blindfolded and efficiency categories. Tom Nelson secured the 3x3x3 Blindfolded win, producing a 28.33 single to finish ahead of McDougall at 47.81 and Ramos at 47.33. In 3x3x3 Multi-Blind, James Macdiarmid conquered memory and execution by registering 36 out of 48 cubes in 59:42, outlasting McDougall with 9 of 10 in 42:51 and James Moore with 10 of 12 in 56:39. Jack Maddigan rounded out the winners by solving the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest with a 27.33 average.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors made massive personal strides across the schedule. Riley Stace logged a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 9.82 seconds, cutting 70.2 percent from a previous mark of 32.92. Marnix Clarke improved by 68.1 percent in 2x2x2 Cube with a 4.38 and lowered their 3x3x3 personal best to 24.47, a 41.3 percent drop. Daniel Mackay made first career attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 1:17.28 and 2x2x2 Cube at 3.66, alongside a 3x3x3 Cube time of 14.58 that was 56.2 percent faster than their prior best. Maxwell de Jardine dropped their Square-1 best by 42.6 percent to 31.84.

The depth of progress was visible across many multi-event campaigns throughout the venue. Hugo Suematsu lowered their 3x3x3 personal best by 32.9 percent to 10.49 while taking on first attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:52.85 and Square-1 at 38.55. Lucas Chin posted first attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 2:35.37 and 3x3x3 One-Handed at 41.07, also dropping their 4x4x4 best by 22.2 percent to 1:14.97. Abigail Dixon tackled eleven events, achieving a best finish of sixth in Multi-Blind with 3 of 5 in 35:48, a first Fewest Moves attempt of 45, and a 19.7 percent drop in One-Handed to 24.85. Henry Rutland took on a first blindfolded attempt at 1:48.86 and finished sixth in the 7x7x7 Cube.

The weekend also introduced new participants to competitive speed cubing, including Neal He, who completed first-time official runs in four disciplines, and Josh Freeman Plume, who debuted across three events. With all thirty-three podium spots earned by home competitors, Only Cubes in Wellington 2024 finished as an emphatic statement of local strength. The full slate of eleven events challenged everyone from newcomer to multi-event champion, leaving a lasting mark on the regional circuit as the 2024 cubing competition calendar pushes toward the final stretch of the season.