Pegasus 2023

Santino Maiorino blazed through the 2x2x2 Cube final with a winning average of 2.24 seconds, setting a scorching standard at the University of Central Florida. That rapid performance headlined a packed schedule of speed events as 190 competitors gathered in Orlando, Florida, USA on January 7, 2023. The single-day WCA competition brought together an energetic field across six events and twelve rounds of intense turning.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube competition lived up to its billing, drawing 189 competitors across three competitive rounds. Noah Swor captured top honors in the final, recording a winning average of 8.06 seconds and a best single of 7.37 seconds. Alexander Persaud followed closely behind with an 8.14 average for second place, while Owen Brooks secured third on the podium averaging 8.30 seconds. The 3x3 results demonstrated remarkable consistency at the top of the standings.

The short-format speedcubing continued to deliver thrilling margins in the 2x2x2 Cube event. Maiorino clinched the gold with his 2.24 average, bolstered by a best single of 2.05 seconds. Tommy Cherry pressed hard to take second place with a 2.42 average, while Swor earned another podium spot by taking third with 2.64 seconds. Across two rounds and 172 competitors, the 2x2 bracket showcased lightning-fast execution where mere tenths decided the order.

Beyond the traditional Rubik's Cube formats, Tommy Cherry proved dominant across specialized disciplines throughout Pegasus 2023. In Clock, Cherry secured first place with a 4.94 winning average and a 4.04 single, finishing ahead of Vishwa Sankar at 5.15 and Eddie Artze at 6.17. Cherry also topped the 3x3x3 Blindfolded field, delivering an 18.70 single to claim the win over Swor, who registered 34.64, and Sean Hartman, who finished third with 1:06.88.

The big cube events saw fierce contention among the region's elite solvers. Pranav Kulkarni took the crown in the 4x4x4 Cube with a winning average of 28.21 seconds, edging out Carter Bitz at 29.30 and Sankar at 29.60. Bitz responded with a victory in the 5x5x5 Cube, putting up a winning average of 53.88 seconds and a single of 48.37 to finish ahead of Sankar at 56.65 and Hartman at 58.61.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the floor. Tyler Johnson posted a Clock personal best of 14.16 seconds, which was 80.4 percent faster than his prior mark, alongside an improved 1:18.38 personal best in the 4x4x4 Cube. Emilian Samkovich tackled five events, slicing his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 51.7 percent down to 1.96 seconds while making a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube in 2:49.11 and 4x4x4 Cube in 1:21.93. Luke Dabu cut his 3x3x3 Cube best by 49.3 percent to 11.88 seconds, alongside debut attempts of 47.01 in the 4x4x4 Cube and 1:50.71 in the 5x5x5 Cube. Ryan Perez claimed seventh in the 2x2x2 Cube with a new personal best of 1.77 seconds, an improvement of 48.1 percent, and logged first attempts in 4x4x4 Cube at 37.90 and 5x5x5 Cube at 1:19.82.

Other dedicated solvers embraced heavy schedules and set substantial new benchmarks. Carter Young entered all six events, advancing to 13th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, clocking a first attempt at Clock in 30.06 seconds, and improving his 5x5x5 Cube best by 46.1 percent to 1:51.00. Andrew Mahovich also tackled six disciplines, taking 13th in blindfolded, trying Clock for the first time with 12.58 seconds, and dropping his 5x5x5 Cube personal best by 36.8 percent to 2:23.78. Andrew Betton improved his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 32.9 percent to 1:21.58 while making debut runs of 4:23.39 in 5x5x5 Cube and 28.62 in Clock. Keenan Matelski took on five events, registering initial attempts of 8.64 in Clock, 37.18 in 4x4x4 Cube, and 1:35.46 in 5x5x5 Cube.

Altogether, the cubing competition demonstrated the depth of the regional speed cubing community, with United States competitors capturing all 18 podium positions across the six disciplines. The single-day tournament provided a balanced test of raw speed, technical calculation, and memory. Pegasus 2023 closed out an exciting showcase of talent as competitors now look forward to building on their marks in the upcoming tournament season.