Pradera Express Villa Nueva 2024

The tables at Pradera Express filled quickly on April 27, 2024, as competitors and spectators gathered for a packed day of speedcubing action in Villa Nueva, Guatemala. Timers rested beside stacked mats, tournament displays flickered under the venue lights, and the persistent click of plastic echoed across the hall as warmups got underway. Across eight events and ten intense rounds, a field of 62 competitors tested their execution and mental stamina, turning the busy commercial center into a lively hub of competitive puzzle solving.

The 2x2x2 Cube event became the centerpiece of the day's record-setting pace, delivering blistering turn speeds and rapid-fire times across both rounds. Javier Siquité set the benchmark with an outstanding 2.57 single and a 3.21 average, leading a massive cascade of standout marks. Jose Javier Melendez Maldonado posted a 2.69 single alongside a 4.61 average, while Jose Pablo Morales Gomez clocked a 3.09 single and 4.40 average. Shalóm Melquisedec Batz Rodríguez pushed the pace with a 3.38 single and 4.18 average, Elias Moscoso Lorenzana secured a 3.45 single and 4.16 average, and El Salvador's Francisco Javier Velásquez Portillo logged a 3.55 single and 3.93 average. Juan Marcos López Pérez, Natalia Sosa, Gabriel Barrios, and Katherine Aguilar rounded out the flurry with singles of 4.18, 4.22, 4.32, and 5.10 respectively, cementing one of the deepest 2x2 fields seen all season.

When the final round of the 2x2x2 Cube arrived, Shalóm Melquisedec Batz Rodríguez held his composure to take the title with a tournament-winning average of 3.42, built on a rapid 2.70 best single. Natalia Sosa captured second place with a 3.59 average, while Francisco Javier Velásquez Portillo earned third on a 3.65 average, securing the lone podium spot outside the host nation. Batz Rodríguez was far from done, demonstrating exceptional versatility across the schedule by adding two more titles. He topped the 3x3x3 One-Handed bracket with a 14.37 winning average and a 12.15 single, and later took gold in Skewb with a 4.85 average over Fernando José Muchuch Chavez and Javier Siquité.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube competition produced the closest finish of the entire WCA competition. Jose Javier Melendez Maldonado emerged on top of the 62-person field with a winning average of 8.78 and a 7.80 single, edging out Batz Rodríguez by a single hundredth of a second as the runner-up finished at 8.79. Brian Bernabé Bolaños Arreaga took the third podium spot with a 9.49 average. These 3x3 results capped a fantastic performance for Melendez Maldonado, who also secured the 4x4x4 Cube victory with an average of 34.23 and a 27.86 best single, finishing ahead of Sosa and Batz Rodríguez.

Beyond the classic Rubik's Cube events, specialty disciplines rounded out the day's intense schedule. Estheban Heredia claimed two victories, taking the Pyraminx title with a 4.71 winning average over Batz Rodríguez and Bolaños Arreaga, and later winning the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind competition by successfully solving 5 out of 6 cubes in 56:26. Gabriel Barrios delivered a lightning-fast performance in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, claiming first place with a 19.51 single in an event requiring immense memory and spatial control. Juan Jose Ajcam secured second place in both blindfolded events, demonstrating steady nerve throughout the weekend.

Away from the championship podiums, several solvers made tremendous strides across the schedule. Jorge Andrés Gómez Gramajo entered four events and cut his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 46.6 percent down to 2.95, while also reducing his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark to 33.82 and taking his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with a 1:33.81. Oscar Armando Mogollon Champet took on three events and dropped his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 45.7 percent to 6.28, shaved 29 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube best to reach 23.76, and lowered his Skewb mark to 12.09. Juan Marcos López Pérez tackled seven events, logging a 32.4 percent improvement on 3x3x3 Cube at 11.28 while making his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 29.48 and Skewb in 11.48. José Adrián Raymundo Del Valle improved his 3x3x3 Cube best by 30.8 percent to 19.13 and his Pyraminx best by 16.2 percent to 10.84.

New milestones continued across the floor as Adrián Fabricio Arévalo Motta tackled five events, recording his first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube in 3.26, Pyraminx in 10.98, and 4x4x4 Cube in 1:31.34 to secure a 12th-place finish in Skewb. Christian Sebastián Sánchez Santos entered five events, taking 7th in Skewb while logging first attempts in Skewb at 10.59, 3x3x3 One-Handed at 26.62, and 4x4x4 Cube at 1:28.48. Making their first appearances at an official cubing competition, Hugo de León contested four events with an opening 18.32 on 3x3x3 Cube and a 13.42 Pyraminx run, while Cristian Manuel Tzub Milian posted a 14.30 on 3x3x3 Cube and a 1:25.59 in his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt to take 19th place.

The collective achievements across the roster highlighted the technical depth of the regional speed cubing scene. Guatemalan competitors captured 23 of the 24 available podium positions across the eight events, backed by strong performances in every category from blindfolded solving to high-speed twisting puzzles. Pradera Express Villa Nueva 2024 delivered an exceptional showcase of concentration and execution, establishing strong benchmarks for everyone involved as they prepare for the next round of competition.