Ottawa Spring 2026

The competition hall at Algonquin College was filled with the rhythmic click of plastic and the deliberate focus of competitors on April 12, 2026. While the world of Rubik's Cube solving often features the quiet, deliberate pace of Fewest Moves with its pen-and-paper analysis and silent contemplation, Ottawa Spring 2026 was entirely built on high-velocity speed. The contrast could not be sharper. Instead of spending an hour mapping out rotations on paper, solvers relied on pure reflex, spatial recognition, and split-second finger tricks across a packed schedule of speed events.

A total of 159 competitors gathered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for the single-day WCA competition, which featured seven rounds across five distinct categories. Speedcubing enthusiasts arrived ready to push their personal limits on everything from mechanical pyramids to larger geometric layers. The atmosphere inside the college venue remained intense from the opening heats in the morning to the final championship brackets late in the afternoon, providing a showcase of Canadian speed cubing talent.

At the absolute centre of the weekend was William Lavoie, who authored an unprecedented clean sweep by winning all five disciplines on the program. In the marquee 3x3x3 Cube event, Lavoie dominated the final round among 155 entrants, securing victory with a winning average of 9.17 seconds along with a round-best single of 7.69. The 3x3 results confirmed an all-Canadian podium, with Seth Boucher capturing second place with a 9.49 average and Ethan Wang locking down third place at 9.55.

Lavoie showed no signs of fatigue as the day shifted into the auxiliary speed puzzles. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, he set the pace with a lightning-fast winning average of 1.52 seconds and a single of 1.14, outperforming Rémi Chrétien who posted a 1.97 average for second and Jonathan Proulx who took third at 2.60. Lavoie followed that triumph by claiming top honours in 3x3x3 One-Handed, where his 15.97 winning average and 12.48 single outpaced Hiêu Thành Pham at 16.99 and Elijah De Groote at 18.18 across the 59-competitor field.

The sweep continued unabated in the mechanical variations. In Pyraminx, William Lavoie topped the 78-person roster with a 3.76 winning average and a single of 2.28, holding off Théodore Mathieu with a 5.15 average and Hiêu Thành Pham at 5.17. Taking to the larger layers in the 4x4x4 Cube, Lavoie posted a winning average of 31.81 seconds and a best single of 29.67 to fend off Nathan Liang at 35.65 and Louis Cormier at 35.91, ensuring Canadian competitors swept all fifteen podium places awarded across the event.

Away from the top of the podium, several competitors delivered massive personal breakthroughs that the overall scoreboards can easily obscure. Brandon Hsieh made an extraordinary jump in the 3x3x3 Cube, recording a personal best of 14.86 seconds to improve by 84.3 percent from a previous mark of 1:34.82. Kiyan Blohm took on five events and secured a 4x4x4 Cube personal best of 1:12.58, which was 71.2 percent faster than their previous best of 4:11.87, along with an 3x3x3 One-Handed mark of 37.77 seconds that was 66.5 percent faster. Nathan Steele dropped their 2x2x2 Cube mark by 69.6 percent down to 2.90 seconds, while Malik Somers entered five events and sliced 65.4 percent off their one-handed best with a 21.96 clocking.

Other solvers expanded their horizons by tackling events for the very first time on the official stage. Steven Kong entered five disciplines at Ottawa Spring 2026 and delivered a first ever attempt in the 4x4x4 Cube of 1:39.28 while cutting their one-handed best by 58.5 percent to 40.71. Qaasim Syed Abidi took on five categories, putting up a first ever attempt of 24.33 in 3x3x3 One-Handed for a 19th-place finish, alongside first official marks of 51.07 in 4x4x4 Cube and 3.91 in 2x2x2 Cube. Charlotte Illing registered first official attempts across three puzzles, posting 5.40 in 2x2x2 Cube, 1:18.37 in 4x4x4 Cube, and 51.47 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Lucero Isabel Tapia also logged three new milestones, recording first marks of 3.76 in 2x2x2 Cube, 1:15.90 in 4x4x4 Cube, and 41.52 in 3x3x3 One-Handed.

With 159 competitors testing their abilities across seven competitive rounds, this cubing competition in the nation capital demonstrated the depth of the regional scene. The single-day schedule demanded sharp reflexes and endurance from every participant at Algonquin College. Ottawa Spring 2026 wrapped up having delivered a rare complete sweep of gold medals alongside dozens of memorable personal milestones for competitors across the roster.