Otsu Biwako Spring 2026

The tables at Asuto Hamaotsu filled early as 68 competitors gathered beside Lake Biwa for a full day of speedcubing. Stacks of timers, display mats, and scramble tables lined the competition floor in Otsu, Shiga, Japan on April 11, 2026. Across four events and seven scheduled rounds, the atmosphere remained brisk as judges and runners ushered solvers through their opening heats. The spring gathering brought together both seasoned veterans and new challengers ready to test their setups in high-stakes, head-to-head match-ups.

The premier event of the cubing competition naturally drew the largest turnout, with 66 entrants entering the race on the classic Rubik's Cube. Across two tense rounds, the field was trimmed to the fastest hands in the room, setting up an intense final showdown. Kantaro Sakamoto delivered the decisive performance of the afternoon, putting together a blistering 6.97 winning average to capture the title. Sakamoto also logged a round-best 6.44 single, leaving no doubt at the top of the standings.

Chasing Sakamoto on the main stage, Takeru Iguchi put together a steady series of solves to lock down second place on the podium with an 8.11 average. Hajime Miyazaki claimed third place on the strength of an 8.30 mark, rounding out an all-Japan top three in the event. The final 3x3 results capped a high-tempo sequence of solves that kept the focus squarely on pure turning speed and efficient lookahead throughout the afternoon.

Beyond the championship bracket, the weekend proved immensely productive for solvers striving for fresh milestones across multiple disciplines. Shuji Taniguchi delivered one of the steepest single improvements of the entire meeting, lowering his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 12.24 seconds, which was 22.2 percent faster than his prior mark of 15.73, while also logging a first ever attempt at Pyraminx with a 10.77 solve. Masafumi Mitera tackled four separate events, recording a first ever attempt at Skewb in 7.79, a first ever attempt at Clock in 18.25, and a Pyraminx personal best of 4.53 that slashed 19.8 percent off his prior 5.65 standard.

That same drive was evident throughout the roster across the venue. Kazuma Takahira took on three events and secured a 6th place finish in Skewb, establishing a first ever attempt at Skewb of 3.66, a first ever attempt at Clock of 5.74, and a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 10.21 that was 14.8 percent faster than his previous 11.99. Soh Hasegawa posted an 8.24 personal best on 3x3x3 Cube, improving by 7.1 percent over 8.87, while also logging his first ever attempt at Skewb at 6.70 and first ever attempt at Clock at 16.06. Takato Mori handled a busy schedule across four events, completing his first ever attempt at Clock in 24.50, first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 13.01, and first ever attempt at Skewb in 14.72. Muku Mitera posted a first ever attempt at Skewb of 5.25 and a first ever attempt at Clock of 14.11. Meanwhile, Kazuki Utsugi registered a first ever attempt at Skewb of 10.50, and Mieko Isomoto completed a first ever attempt at Skewb in 22.98.

Side events brought international flair to the Otsu Biwako Spring 2026 proceedings, highlighted by a dominant showing from New Zealand solver Levi Eyou. In the Pyraminx competition, which drew 44 competitors across two rounds, Eyou seized victory with an exceptional 2.10 winning average and a lightning single of 1.41. Japan's Nice Yoshida followed in second place with a 2.27 average, narrowly edging out Elyas Eyou of New Zealand, who secured third place on the podium with a 2.29 mark.

The Clock event proved just as thrilling over its single round of 38 competitors, producing the tightest margin of the entire WCA competition. Levi Eyou doubled his gold medal haul by securing first place with a 4.92 average and a best single of 4.43. Shoi Hamaguchi applied maximum pressure from start to finish, settling for second place by two hundredths of a second at 4.94, while Kai Yamamoto secured third place on the podium with an average of 5.04.

The Skewb bracket saw 36 competitors battle through two rounds of sharp corner-turning speed cubing. Shunya Ishikawa took command of the event, capturing first place with a standout 2.28 winning average alongside a rapid 1.49 single. Noriyuki Okada secured second place with an average of 2.80, and Rio Esaki claimed third place with a mark of 3.13 to complete a clean podium sweep for Japan in the event.

When the final timers clicked off, the medal tally reflected a productive day for the host nation, with Japan securing nine podium places and New Zealand claiming three. The fast-paced action at Otsu Biwako Spring 2026 gave competitors from near and far a valuable benchmark as they pack up their gear and prepare for the upcoming stops of the 2026 season.

68名ものスピードキュービング選手たちが集結した春の大会は、熾烈なタイム争いと層の厚さを見せつける一日となりました。2026年4月11日にOtsu, Shiga, Japanの明日都浜大津にて開催されたOtsu Biwako Spring 2026では、4種目全7ラウンドにわたってハイレベルな競技が展開され、決勝進出をかけた激戦が繰り広げられました。

最注目の種目である3x3x3 Cube（ルービックキューブ）部門には66名がエントリーし、上位ラウンドへ進むだけでも極めて高い完成度が求められました。その激闘を制したのはKantaro Sakamoto (坂本貫太郎)で、ベスト単発6.44を記録しながら6.97という圧巻の平均タイムを叩き出して見事に優勝を飾りました。

3x3x3 Cubeの表彰台争いも最後まで緊迫した展開となり、Takeru Iguchi (井口丈瑠)が平均8.11で2位に入り、Hajime Miyazaki (宮崎朔)が平均8.30で3位に入賞しました。ハイレベルな参加者がひしめく中で、10名が争うファイナルへ駒を進め、トップ争いに食い込むこと自体が非常に険しい道のりとなりました。

Pyraminx部門では44名が競い合う中、Levi Eyouが単発1.41、平均2.10という驚異的なタイムで頂点に立ちました。同種目の2位には平均2.27をマークしたNice Yoshida (吉田名偉主)、3位には平均2.29のElyas Eyouが入り、僅差のタイム差で表彰台が争われました。

Levi Eyouの勢いは止まらず、38名が出場したClock部門でも単発4.43、平均4.92を記録して今大会2冠を達成しました。2位には平均4.94のShoi Hamaguchi (濱口翔偉)が僅差で続き、3位には平均5.04を記録したKai Yamamoto (山本快)が入るなど、熱いスピード勝負が会場を沸かせました。

36名が腕を競ったSkewb部門ではShunya Ishikawa (石川隼也)が単発1.49、平均2.28で堂々の優勝を果たしました。2位には平均2.80のNoriyuki Okada (岡田典之)、3位には平均3.13を記録したRio Esaki (江碕莉旺)が入り、日本勢が表彰台を独占する素晴らしい結果となりました。

数字や順位の向こう側でも、各選手が確かな足跡を残しています。Sota Hiratsuka (平塚蒼大)はPyraminxで従来の5.03から23.7パーセント短縮する3.84の自己ベストを樹立しました。Qiuchi Sang (桑秋驰)は初挑戦のClockで10.98を記録し18位となり、Yotaro Chiba (千葉陽太朗)は初挑戦のSkewbで6.61をマークし、Miki Ito (伊藤美貴)もPyraminx初挑戦で14.33を記録しました。

さらに初のWCA competitionとなった選手たちも躍動しました。Yuto Takagi (高木優翔)は3x3x3 Cubeで16.44、Skewbで7.14、Clockで10.83を記録してClock21位に入りました。Naoto Matsumoto (松本尚斗)は3x3x3 Cubeで9.31、Skewbで16.17、Pyraminxで8.08を記録し、Mity Yamanakaは3x3x3 Cubeで38.39とPyraminxで20.77、Toshiyuki Taniguchi (谷口寿幸)は3x3x3 Cubeで21.20を記録しました。

国別の表彰台獲得数では日本勢が9枠、ニュージーランド勢が3枠を獲得し、多様な才能が交錯する素晴らしいキュービング大会となりました。Otsu Biwako Spring 2026での熱戦を経て、参加したすべての選手たちがそれぞれの成果を胸に次のシーズンへと歩みを進めます。