Raffles World Academy Dubai 2024

The competition hall at Raffles World Academy was filled with the rhythmic click of turning plastic and the focused intensity of 86 solvers gathered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Staged on June 22, 2024, the tournament brought together contenders across seven rounds and five events. Solvers representing nations across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East traded leads in a tense regional contest across both short sprints and complex puzzles.

The headline event delivered high-stakes drama as international contenders battled through the 3x3 results. In the final round of the classic Rubik's Cube, Sergey Ryabko of Russia claimed the victory with an 8.93 winning average, highlighted by the round best single of 7.65. Ryabko held off stiff pressure from Armax Zander Guevara of the Philippines, who took second place with a 9.27 average, while Mihir Narayan of India secured third place on the podium at 9.46 in a tightly packed 83-competitor field.

Beyond the premier puzzle, the regional tug-of-war expanded across the schedule at Raffles World Academy Dubai 2024. Abdallah Belal Omar of Jordan delivered an extraordinary showing in the 2x2x2 Cube, topping a field of 74 competitors with a decisive 2.19 winning average. Omar also etched his name into the record books by setting a Jordan national record single of 1.68 seconds during the event, outpacing John Hermiel Catacutan of the Philippines, who finished second at 3.13, and Sergey Ryabko in third at 3.16.

India and Jordan split honors in the remaining events, driving an intense speed cubing rivalry that dominated the podiums. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Mihir Narayan took top honors for India with a commanding 32.89 winning average and a best single of 27.89, outlasting Guevara at 41.43 and Khaled Al-Hathlool of Saudi Arabia at 43.66. Narayan captured his second gold in Pyraminx with a 4.35 average over compatriot Rannanjay Singh Kotwal at 4.44 and Omar at 5.96. Omar struck back in Skewb, taking first place with a 6.31 average ahead of Kotwal at 7.08 and Mikhail Nikitin of Russia at 7.38.

Behind the fight for podium silverware, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the board. Malcolm Jacob Mollasgo Catorce tackled five disciplines and made first career attempts in both the 4x4x4 Cube with a time of 2:35.81 and Skewb with a 10.76, while also trimming his Pyraminx personal best to 5.17, which was 62.8 percent faster than his prior mark of 13.91. Elliot Lewis Coode took on four events, logging his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt at 1:28.13 and lowering his 2x2x2 Cube best to 4.60, an improvement of 59.8 percent from 11.45. Aryan Shah produced a first attempt of 5.87 in Skewb while improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 59.5 percent down to 3.44. Jihe Jiang registered his first official 2x2x2 Cube solve at 3.94 and dropped his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 41.4 percent to 21.64.

Other dedicated solvers added significant breakthroughs to the scoresheet. Avirag Sarkar took on five disciplines, dropping his Pyraminx personal best by 62.4 percent to 5.96 and advancing his Skewb mark to 8.82. Shaikha Alia AlQassimi tackled five events for the host nation, logging a first career Skewb mark of 14.38 and slicing 37.3 percent off her 4x4x4 Cube personal best to finish in 1:40.06. Making their debuts at a WCA competition, Aryaman Agnihotri entered five disciplines and secured a 13.26 first attempt in the 3x3x3 Cube alongside a 4.11 in the 2x2x2 Cube, while Swarit Singh Jasrotia took on five events and posted his first official marks of 10.64 in Pyraminx and 22.86 in the 3x3x3 Cube.

The balance of podium finishes illustrated the sheer breadth of regional competition across the one-day meet. India led the medal count with five podium spots, while Jordan, Russia, and the Philippines each captured three top-three places, joined by Saudi Arabia with one. Every round tested technical execution and mental poise under the timer, underscoring how competitive the international circuit has become across every tier of solver.

As the equipment was packed away and the timers turned off, Raffles World Academy Dubai 2024 concluded having delivered exceptional head-to-head battles and memorable personal milestones. From record-setting sprints to bold debuts in new puzzle categories, the cubing competition showcased the depth of speedcubing talent in Dubai and set a strong benchmark for the rest of the 2024 calendar.