Orange 2026

Forty-nine competitors assembled in Orange, New South Wales, Australia, on April 11 and 12, 2026, delivering fifteen rounds of intense puzzle solving across seven different events. The Hotel Canobolas served as the battleground for the weekend, welcoming both seasoned veterans and rising talents eager to shave seconds off their personal marks. Throughout the two days of competition, rapid progression defined the atmosphere as emerging contenders demonstrated remarkable growth in standard Rubik's Cube categories as well as specialty disciplines.

Sora Sato emerged as the primary force of the gathering, capturing victories across four separate events. Sato set the benchmark in the 3x3x3 Cube, recording a winning average of 7.18 seconds alongside the weekend's best single of 6.81 seconds through three demanding rounds of 48 competitors. Sato also claimed titles in the 2x2x2 Cube with a 2.04 average, the 3x3x3 One-Handed event with a 12.29 average, and the 5x5x5 Cube with a 46.70 average, completing a comprehensive demonstration of speedcubing prowess.

The 3x3 results finalized the weekend's marquee contest, where Sato led an all-Australian podium. Kyle Jones captured the second-place spot with an 8.89 average, while Doyu Park rounded out the top three with an average of 9.24 seconds. The classic 3x3x3 event tested endurance across three preliminary stages before the final rankings were decided, highlighting the standard of speed cubing excellence present throughout the region.

Outside the main 3x3x3 division, varied puzzles produced distinct champions across the remaining brackets. Archimedes Dines secured first place in Pyraminx with a winning average of 2.49 seconds, holding off Miles Irwin who placed second with a 3.03 average and Sato in third with a 3.22 mark. In Clock, Kristian Trubajic claimed victory with a 4.07 average, finishing ahead of Kyle Jones at 5.54 and Irwin at 5.85. Megaminx saw Peri Le Dain take the title with a 51.36 average, outperforming Sato's 54.02 and Dines's 56.20.

Behind the top podium spots, several developing competitors demonstrated dramatic improvements across multiple disciplines. Liam Cornwell recorded a 6.42 single in the 2x2x2 Cube, an improvement of 59.7 percent over his prior best, and dropped his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 37.8 percent to 15.84 seconds. Alfie Woods slashed his 3x3x3 Cube record by 55.7 percent down to 20.63 seconds while logging his first official 2x2x2 Cube attempt at 6.95 seconds. William Kupkee tackled all seven events, cutting his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 55.4 percent to 1.79 seconds and securing a seventh-place finish in 5x5x5 Cube. Sullivan I'Anson cut his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 45.6 percent to 32.87 seconds while posting initial career marks in Clock at 20.66 seconds and 5x5x5 Cube at 4:36.57.

Other competitors expanded their repertoires with debut attempts and heavy schedules across the weekend schedule. Vincent Hua took on seven events, advancing his Pyraminx single by 44.3 percent to 2.77 seconds and his One-Handed single by 31.8 percent to 15.28 seconds on his way to sixth in Megaminx. Harrison Kirchler also entered all seven disciplines, logging his first official marks in Megaminx at 4:08.37 and 5x5x5 Cube at 5:45.10 while improving his One-Handed mark by 21.4 percent to 44.13 seconds. Marcus Proctor attempted 5x5x5 Cube, Pyraminx, and Megaminx for the first time, posting marks of 4:29.96, 17.48, and 3:28.58 respectively across six events. Michael Shortus made his first official WCA competition appearance, competing in five events and recording initial times of 37.11 seconds on the 3x3x3 Cube, 23.39 seconds on Clock, and 58.24 seconds in One-Handed.

The 2x2x2 Cube saw Sato claim the top step with a 2.04 average and a 1.46 best single across two rounds of 41 participants. Kristian Trubajic secured second place with an average of 2.96 seconds, closely followed by Miles Irwin at 3.11 seconds. The One-Handed division concluded with Angus Hannelly earning second place with an 18.47 average behind Sato, while Pavan Kumar Krishnan Swaminathan secured third place with an average of 20.26 seconds.

Big cube play concluded with the 5x5x5 Cube single-round contest of 25 competitors, where Sato stood alone under the fifty-second barrier with a 46.70 winning average and a 45.53 best single. Angus Hannelly achieved second place with an average of 1:14.62, narrowly edging out Peri Le Dain who finished third with a 1:15.17 average. The competition closed out an eventful two days at The Hotel Canobolas, with Australian competitors filling all twenty-one available podium positions.

The successful execution of Orange 2026 demonstrated the depth of talent throughout New South Wales. From breakthrough personal bests across the junior ranks to dominant multi-event victories at the highest tier of the bracket, the cubing competition showcased a vibrant community pushing times steadily downward across every mechanical category.