Ontario Championship 2024

Across 34 rounds of intense action, 229 competitors gathered at Ontario Tech University and Durham College for Ontario Championship 2024. Running from August 9 to August 11, 2024, the major WCA competition required seamless coordination from the organizers, delegates, and dedicated volunteers who managed the staging, judging, running, and scrambling across 13 distinct disciplines. Their relentless efforts ensured that the massive schedule ran smoothly from the early heats through the final podium races.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew 223 solvers to the tables in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, creating four demanding rounds of Rubik's Cube solving. Morgan Yeh produced the weekend standout performance, claiming the championship title with a winning average of 5.87 seconds and a best single time of 5.03 seconds. Burno Li Chak Kwan secured second place with an average of 6.75, while Brennen Lin took third at 7.35. The elite 3x3 results capped an exhilarating weekend of top-tier speedcubing.

Morgan Yeh added another gold medal to an impressive showing by winning the 4x4x4 Cube with a 27.50 average and a single of 25.12. In the 2x2x2 Cube, which featured 191 entrants over three rounds, Brennen Lin earned the top spot on the podium with a 1.54 average, edging Ryan Wu who finished second at 1.71 and Andrew Mao in third at 1.80. The fast-turning short formats kept the scramble tables running at peak capacity through every phase.

Beyond the championship podiums, the cubing competition provided personal milestones for competitors developing their craft. Shail Shah achieved a massive breakthrough in the 3x3x3 Cube, lowering a personal best to 21.95 seconds to finish 57.7 percent faster than before, while also recording a 2x2x2 Cube best of 6.57 seconds and logging a first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a 9.51 solve. Darren Ho registered a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 26.48 seconds, marking a 50.3 percent improvement alongside a first official 2x2x2 attempt of 9.44. Linden Baran took on four events, cutting a Pyraminx personal best by 49.3 percent to 6.95 seconds and recording a first ever attempt at Skewb in 16.87. Junkai Liu dropped a 4x4x4 Cube personal best to 43.40 seconds, an improvement of 40.9 percent, while logging a Pyraminx debut in 13.05.

The progress continued across diverse puzzle categories throughout the weekend. Kai-Yu Tsai lowered a 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 17.43 seconds, solving 36 percent faster than a previous mark, while completing first ever official attempts in Pyraminx at 6.45 and 2x2x2 Cube at 6.71. Matias Romann improved a Skewb personal best by 33 percent down to 13.91 seconds, while taking on first official attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 19.78 and Pyraminx at 10.11. Finn Fitzsimmons improved a 3x3x3 Cube mark by 30.3 percent to 16.35 seconds, alongside debut attempts in Pyraminx at 9.53 and Skewb at 10.02. Marjan Ahmad tackled nine events during the tournament, recording a best finish of 12th place in 6x6x6 Cube while making first career attempts in 2x2x2 Cube at 3.10, Pyraminx at 7.86, and Skewb at 10.01.

Big cube excellence was on full display in the 6x6x6 and 7x7x7 divisions, both captured by Omar Ellabban. In the 6x6x6 Cube, Ellabban won with an average of 1:23.76, ahead of Burno Li Chak Kwan at 1:29.81 and Max Xiong at 1:31.08. Ellabban repeated the victory on the 7x7x7 Cube, posting a winning mark of 2:07.27 to lead Max Xiong at 2:12.33 and Li Chak Kwan at 2:26.34. Li Chak Kwan also took gold in the 5x5x5 Cube with a 46.43 average, followed closely by Arhaan Sareen at 46.83 and Ellabban at 49.34.

The specialty events highlighted incredible versatility across different mechanics and formats. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded, where athletes rely entirely on memorization before executing their solution without sight, Elliott Kobelansky won the title with a single of 16.41 seconds, followed by Kevin Matthews at 36.19 and Nikhil Soares at 1:01.44. Matthew Lee demonstrated exceptional dexterity across disciplines, capturing gold in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an 11.77 average and winning Square-1 with an 11.17 average.

Side events brought thrilling finales as Nicholas Patterson won Skewb with a 3.77 average, just ahead of Burno Li Chak Kwan at 3.88 and Jensen Belen-Brown at 4.27. Lucas Nieuwland secured Clock with a 4.34 average over Jacob Lam at 5.47 and Jack Chicoine at 5.56. In Pyraminx, Andrew Mao triumphed with a 2.08 winning average, while Nikhil Soares took Megaminx in 34.74. Across the weekend, Canadian competitors earned 27 podium places, alongside 8 for Hong Kong, 2 for India, and 2 for China.

The conclusion of Ontario Championship 2024 left a lasting mark on the regional circuit. From the first groups on Friday morning to the final round on Sunday evening, the speed cubing showcase celebrated high-speed excellence and personal achievements alike. With the venue clear and the equipment packed away, the community can look back on an extraordinarily well-run tournament that tested the limits of puzzle solving in every discipline.