Ottawa Summer 2024

93 competitors gathered at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre at Britannia Beach for a packed single day of action on July 27, 2024. The gathering in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada featured seven rounds across five distinct disciplines, testing everything from rapid turn execution to complex spatial memory. For speedcubing enthusiasts across the region, the WCA competition offered an intense slate of Rubik's Cube variants where clean ergonomic technique and steady pacing separated the podium contenders from the rest of the pack.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew 92 competitors across three rounds of fierce play. When the final round wrapped up, the 3x3 results confirmed Arhaan Sareen as the champion with an elite 7.97 winning average, supported by a best single of 7.08. Sareen held off Nikhil Soares of India, who took second place with an 8.26 average, while Ben Davies of Canada secured third place with an 8.84 mark. The classic puzzle remains the standard benchmark for speed cubing excellence, demanding flawless fingertricks and smooth transitions through every stage.

Soares put on an exceptional performance across the schedule, capturing two event titles of his own. In the twelve-sided Megaminx, he secured victory with an average of 33.98 and a best single of 27.82, outpacing Canada's Breton MacDonald at 43.94 and Sareen at 45.52. Soares repeated his winning form in Skewb, where 52 competitors took to the tables. He claimed the top spot with a 4.76 average, edging out Sareen's 4.95 and Jonathan Proulx's 5.12.

The 2x2x2 Cube event saw explosive speed and sharp efficiency across the field of 76 competitors. William Lavoie delivered a blistering 1.56 winning average alongside a best single of 1.37 to take first place. Arhaan Sareen collected another podium by finishing second with a 2.40 average, while Rex Li of China took third place with a 3.19 mark. Both Lavoie and Sareen demonstrated the rapid recognition and execution needed on the smaller puzzle.

Mental discipline took center stage in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, where competitors must fully memorize the puzzle state before donning a blindfold to execute the solve. Ben Bergen claimed the title among 16 competitors with a winning single time of 38.74 seconds. Nikhil Soares earned yet another podium finish, taking second place in 1:04.20, while Elijah De Groote rounded out the top three with a time of 1:28.47.

Beyond the podium finishes, the cubing competition saw massive personal breakthroughs from competitors across the field. Aayansh Paliwal posted a remarkable 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 23.13 seconds, which was 57.2 percent faster than his previous mark of 54.00. Ricardo Ponce Guijosa dropped his Skewb best down to 7.97, an improvement of 49.3 percent over his earlier 15.72, while also taking on his first ever attempt at Megaminx with a time of 2:29.43. Louis Gagnon cut his 3x3x3 Cube mark by 40.8 percent to 14.42 and recorded his first Megaminx solve at 3:38.78. Alexandre Dion improved his Skewb best by 32.1 percent to 4.81 and tackled Megaminx for the first time with a 2:26.35 result.

Other competitors took on brand new challenges and broad event schedules at Ottawa Summer 2024. William Davie entered four events, setting a 2x2x2 personal best of 5.50 and recording his first attempts in Megaminx at 2:47.42 and Skewb at 14.75. Jair Da Silva Domingos registered his first official attempts in Skewb at 8.46 and Megaminx at 1:20.82 while improving his 3x3x3 mark to 11.57. Adam Liam Martin took on five events in his first WCA competition, achieving a seventh place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded and logging first attempts in Skewb at 19.48, Megaminx at 3:17.05, and 3x3x3 Cube at 21.50. Antoine Cardinal also made his debut, competing in four events and setting initial marks of 9.92 in Skewb, 2:31.31 in Megaminx, and 12.45 in 3x3x3 Cube.

The overall medal count reflected a dominant showing for local talent, with Canadian solvers securing 10 podium positions, alongside four for India and one for China. From the complex multi-phase solves of Megaminx to the split-second turns of 2x2x2, competitors showed the value of dedicated training and smooth execution under tournament conditions.

With seven full rounds successfully completed, Ottawa Summer 2024 provided a showcase of versatility and rapid problem-solving across all five events. The day at Britannia Beach highlighted the growing depth of Canadian speedcubing as veteran competitors and newcomers alike set a strong standard heading into the remainder of the 2024 calendar.