Panama Nationals 2025

Omar Aguilar turned the tables into his personal proving ground across two demanding days of speedcubing, collecting six distinct gold-medal finishes to set an untouchable standard for the tournament. The powerhouse performance anchored a high-energy weekend where 42 competitors gathered for Panama Nationals 2025 at the Centro Educativo Santo Domingo in Penonomé, Cocle, Panama. Across 15 events and 19 rounds on November 8 and 9, the national gathering brought together seasoned champions and newcomers seeking major milestones under the official World Cube Association banner in 2025.

Aguilar set the tone early in the mid-sized puzzles, seizing the 4x4x4 Cube with a 34.52 winning average and a crisp 28.63 single, finishing ahead of Gustavo Ross at 43.44 and Ezequiel Cedeño at 44.21. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Aguilar delivered another commanding victory, posting a 1:06.15 average alongside a 56.88 single to hold off Egdar Castillo, who clocked 1:19.92, and Andres Sanchez Ponce of Costa Rica, who finished third at 1:21.02. Aguilar continued his big-cube mastery in the 6x6x6 Cube, recording a winning average of 2:27.06 over Ross and Castillo.

The versatile frontrunner proved just as sharp in specialized formats. Aguilar captured first place in 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 13.82, besting David Montenegro who took second in 14.89 and Ross who placed third in 16.57. Aguilar also clinched Pyraminx gold with a 4.76 average and secured top honors in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves by submitting a 30-move solution. His relentless multi-event execution made this WCA competition one of the most thoroughly controlled tournaments seen on the national circuit all year.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube battle brought dramatic tension through three full rounds of classic Rubik's Cube solving. In the final round, David Montenegro put together a brilliant sequence to take the title with an average of 8.58 and a best single of 7.80. Ross earned the silver step on the podium with a 9.26 average, while Aguilar completed his podium collection by taking bronze in 9.95. The high-caliber 3x3 results capped a 41-competitor bracket that stood as the most heavily contested event on the schedule.

Short-format puzzles and non-standard challenges offered fierce head-to-head racing throughout the venue. Gustavo Ross claimed the 2x2x2 Cube title with an average of 3.19 and a best single of 2.41, holding off Luciano Rocha of Bolivia at 3.48 and Montenegro at 3.61. Juan David Pérez won Clock with a 7.45 average, while Gabriel Arrue Mcclarin captured the Skewb title averaging 5.30. In Megaminx, Egdar Castillo prevailed with a 1:02.52 mark and later earned another gold in the 7x7x7 Cube with an impressive 3:12.34 average.

Behind the top podiums, the cubing competition saw remarkable personal milestones from developing solvers. Fernando José Váquez Duarte enjoyed an exceptional breakthrough, cutting his 2x2x2 personal best down to 4.05, a massive 59.5 percent improvement over his prior 10.01 mark, and recorded his first ever Pyraminx attempt at 6.04. Edgar Rodríguez Ramos also delivered huge strides, reducing his 2x2x2 best to 4.36 from 11.49 to go 62.1 percent faster. Mark Chen surged forward in multiple categories, trimming his Pyraminx best by 57.9 percent to 5.49 and his 4x4x4 best by 20.6 percent to 1:10.79 while finishing 4th in the 3x3x3. Alexis Quintero made huge leaps as well, slashing his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 38.9 percent down to 20.51.

Other dedicated solvers embraced new challenges and expanded their repertoires across the schedule. Rafayel Lopez took on 10 events during the weekend, registering first-time marks in Pyraminx at 11.12, Clock at 35.31, and Skewb at 7.15 on his way to 7th in blindfolded solving. Tiago Andrés González De León tackled 8 events, logging first attempts in Pyraminx at 6.24, Skewb at 7.18, and 5x5x5 at 1:56.25 to secure 5th in Megaminx. Samuel Quintero posted his first attempts at 5x5x5 in 2:21.38 and Clock in 24.46 while taking 11th in 2x2x2, and James Marmolejo entered 8 events, taking 4th in 3x3x3 One-Handed while registering a first Skewb attempt of 9.20.

Blindfolded solving highlighted the technical depth of the roster, where Omar Arrocha achieved a stellar double victory. Arrocha topped the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division with a winning single of 35.85, finishing ahead of Juan David Pérez at 47.09 and Fabián García at 1:08.48. In the grueling 3x3x3 Multi-Blind test, Arrocha delivered an 8 out of 10 result in 45:19 to complete his sweep of the memory-based events. In Square-1, Andres Sanchez Ponce captured the crown with a winning average of 15.40 and a single of 13.97.

The closing ceremonies of Panama Nationals 2025 celebrated an impressive haul across international lines, with host nation Panama collecting 38 podium spots, Costa Rica securing 5, and Bolivia earning 2. The sheer variety of events, sharp personal bests, and commanding multi-discipline performances highlighted the continued growth and energy of competitive speed cubing. As the venue closed its doors in Penonomé, the solvers left behind a memorable weekend of record attempts and podium battles ready to build toward the next championship calendar.