Regreso a Clases Bogotá 2023

The distinctive red-brick architecture of the Conjunto Torres del Parque provided a memorable setting for high-stakes speedcubing as February 12, 2023 brought a dense schedule of competition to Bogotá, Colombia. Inside the venue, the staging tables were busy from the morning onwards, with 58 competitors arriving to test their practice against the clock. The hall was filled with the rhythmic clatter of plastic pieces aligning at high speed, the soft thud of hands hitting digital timers, and the intense focus of competitors warming up across eight distinct World Cube Association events.

Regreso a Clases Bogotá 2023 turned the iconic venue into a focused proving ground across 14 packed rounds of competition. The single-day WCA competition demanded sharp concentration, as solvers had minimal turnaround time between standard turns, puzzle modifications, and blindfolded attempts. Organizers kept the flow of scrambles and judging stations moving steadily, creating a vibrant environment where both seasoned podium contenders and emerging solvers shared the floor throughout the day in Colombia's capital.

The marquee Rubik's Cube category served as the ultimate test of speed and consistency across three rigorous rounds. Manuel Popayán captured the title in the 3x3x3 Cube, recording a winning average of 8.29 seconds along with a best single time of 7.76 seconds in a field of 58 competitors. The 3x3 results saw Lorenzo Gonzalez secure the runner-up spot with an average of 8.57 seconds, while Juan Sebastián Barbosa Piza claimed third place with an average of 10.13 seconds.

A major storyline at Regreso a Clases Bogotá 2023 was the dominant performance of Julian Alejandro Forero Gonzalez across multiple formats. In the 2x2x2 Cube, which featured 43 competitors over two rounds, he took first place with a 2.71 average, anchored by a best single of 2.17 seconds, edging out Kevin Vanegas Diaz at 3.03 and Juan Sebastian Mendez Llanos at 3.50. His success carried directly into the memory events, where he demonstrated mastery over larger blindfolded puzzles, capturing first place in both the 4x4x4 Blindfolded and 5x5x5 Blindfolded events.

The blindfolded disciplines provided high drama on the stage, where athletes must solve entirely without sight after memorisation. Jefferson Durango earned victory in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a winning single time of 23.48 seconds against 11 competitors, besting Angel David Alvarado Sandoval who took second in 42.98, and Juan Pablo Rodriguez who placed third in 1:01.75. In the 4x4x4 Blindfolded event, Julian Alejandro Forero Gonzalez won with a winning average of 4:06.35 and a single of 3:56.10, while in 5x5x5 Blindfolded he took the top spot with a single time of 6:57.45.

Beyond the championship podiums, Regreso a Clases Bogotá 2023 highlighted tremendous personal progress across the roster. Juan Sebastian Gómez Rojas delivered a major leap in the 3x3x3 Cube, logging a personal best of 15.76 seconds that was 48.7 percent faster than his previous mark of 30.75. Santiago Bohórquez Rodríguez tackled five events, achieving a Pyraminx personal best of 15.12 seconds that improved on his previous 25.57 by 40.9 percent, while also taking on his first ever attempt at Skewb with a 16.67 and his first 2x2x2 Cube solve at 4.45 to accompany a 10th-place finish in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Andrés Camilo Molina Guamán competed across five events, posting a Pyraminx personal best of 6.25 that was 34.3 percent faster than his prior 9.51, registering a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 3.10, and recording his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 Blindfolded in 5:54.91 for 9th place. John Jairo Bustamante Mendoza advanced in three events, posting a 2x2x2 Cube mark of 6.21 that was 33.5 percent faster, a 3x3x3 Cube mark of 19.34 that was 32.3 percent faster, and a Pyraminx time of 9.96 that improved by 23.4 percent.

The personal milestones continued through the afternoon as several competitors expanded into new events. Jacobo Londoño Gonzalez set a Pyraminx personal best of 10.63 seconds, which was 20.3 percent faster than his previous 13.33, while also lowering his 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 17.59 seconds, a 17.7 percent drop. Federico Peña Villegas took on five events, earning a 9th-place finish in Clock and recording personal bests of 11.42 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube, an 18.7 percent improvement, and 18.48 seconds in Clock, an 8.7 percent improvement. Tomas Peña Moreno entered three disciplines, completing his first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 27.36 seconds and his first 2x2x2 Cube solve in 10.41 seconds. Matias Luna Castañeda also embraced new challenges across three events, logging his first ever attempt at Pyraminx in 23.20 seconds alongside a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 6.67 seconds.

The side events added further variety to the cubing competition schedule throughout the day. In Pyraminx, Kevin Vanegas Diaz won first place with an average of 5.55 seconds, staying ahead of Diego Alejandro Camelo López at 5.78 and Klaus Ramos at 6.47. Diego Alejandro Camelo López found victory in Skewb, taking top honours with an average of 3.55 seconds over Sergio Dorado at 5.41 and David Stiven Benitez Guerra at 5.86. Clock concluded with Angel David Alvarado Sandoval taking the win with a 7.25 average, joined on the podium by Klaus Ramos with 9.72 and Julian Alejandro Forero Gonzalez with 10.00.

As the final timers were packed away, Colombian competitors swept all 27 available podium places across the gathering, underscoring the depth of talent active in the nation. The single-day speed cubing festival at Conjunto Torres del Parque highlighted the technical discipline required across both standard puzzles and complex blindfolded disciplines. With broad participation across all eight events, the successful conclusion of Regreso a Clases Bogotá 2023 marked an energetic start to the 2023 calendar for the regional community.

Las mesas del Conjunto Torres del Parque concentraron una intensa actividad durante la jornada del 12 de febrero de 2023. La capital colombiana recibió a decenas de participantes decididos a poner a prueba su destreza en una exigente competencia de speedcubing que demandó concentración absoluta desde las rondas clasificatorias. En cada rincón del recinto se respiraba el rigor propio de un certamen oficial donde cada milésima contaba para avanzar de fase.

El certamen reunió a 58 participantes que disputaron un total de 14 rondas a lo largo de 8 eventos oficiales de la World Cube Association. La densidad de competidores en las pruebas principales convirtió el acceso a cada final en un verdadero filtro de regularidad técnica, donde la consistencia fue determinante para quienes aspiraban a subir a los puestos de honor en Bogotá, Colombia.

La categoría principal de cubo de Rubik contó con la participación de 58 competidores distribuidos en tres rondas de eliminación directa. Manuel Popayán se adjudicó la victoria tras registrar un promedio ganador de 8.29 segundos en la final y una mejor resolución de 7.76 segundos. La segunda posición correspondió a Lorenzo Gonzalez con una media de 8.57, mientras que Juan Sebastián Barbosa Piza ocupó el tercer lugar con un registro de 10.13 segundos.

En la prueba de 2x2x2 Cube, que congregó a 43 aspirantes en dos rondas, Julian Alejandro Forero Gonzalez se llevó el primer lugar con un promedio de 2.71 segundos y un mejor intento de 2.17. Kevin Vanegas Diaz finalizó en la segunda posición con una marca de 3.03 segundos, seguido por Juan Sebastian Mendez Llanos en el tercer escalón con 3.50. El certamen Regreso a Clases Bogotá 2023 reflejó así una intensa disputa por cada plaza en el podio.

Más allá de las primeras posiciones, varios competidores alcanzaron importantes progresos personales en el torneo. Santiago Castro Gómez disputó tres eventos y consiguió un quinto lugar en Pyraminx, rebajando su mejor marca personal en 2x2x2 Cube a 7.71 segundos, un 43.1% más rápido que su registro previo de 13.56, además de cronometrar 4.36 en Pyraminx y 25.18 en 3x3x3 Cube. Heder Andrés Ávila González compitió en cuatro eventos y fijó su récord personal de Skewb en 10.15 segundos, un 16.7% más rápido que sus anteriores 12.19. Natalia Mendoza completó su participación en 3x3x3 Cube con un registro de 29.29 segundos, mejorando un 15.2% su marca anterior de 34.53, mientras que Juan Andrés Marulanda Vera rebajó su tiempo personal en esa misma prueba a 18.80 segundos, un 12.9% más veloz que sus 21.58 previos.

El torneo también sirvió de escenario para quienes dieron sus primeros pasos en una competición de cubos oficial. Alejandro Vargas García afrontó cuatro eventos en su primera competencia WCA, registrando tiempos inaugurales de 36.20 en 3x3x3 Cube, 16.29 en 2x2x2 Cube y 19.17 en Pyraminx. Juan Martín Montes Restrepo disputó tres pruebas en su debut, logrando 32.99 en 3x3x3 Cube, 15.49 en 2x2x2 Cube y 24.99 en Pyraminx. Por su parte, Joel Esteban Villalobos León completó sus primeros intentos oficiales con 6.15 en 2x2x2 Cube, 14.04 en 3x3x3 Cube y 26.77 en Pyraminx, mientras que Sebastian Mauricio Lopez Naranjo participó en tres modalidades registrando marcas de estreno de 5.93 en 2x2x2 Cube, 21.30 en Pyraminx y 33.91 en 3x3x3 Cube dentro del marco del campeonato Regreso a Clases Bogotá 2023.

Las modalidades de giro rápido continuaron ofreciendo marcas destacadas durante la jornada dominical. En Pyraminx, Kevin Vanegas Diaz conquistó el triunfo con una media de 5.55 segundos frente a los 5.78 de Diego Alejandro Camelo López y los 6.47 de Klaus Ramos. Por su parte, Diego Alejandro Camelo López dominó la final de Skewb con un promedio de 3.55 segundos, superando a Sergio Dorado que marcó 5.41 y a David Stiven Benitez Guerra con 5.86. En Clock, Angel David Alvarado Sandoval se impuso con una media de 7.25 segundos por delante de Klaus Ramos y Julian Alejandro Forero Gonzalez.

Las disciplinas a ciegas exigieron un control absoluto de la memorización y la ejecución técnica sin margen de error. Jefferson Durango obtuvo la victoria en 3x3x3 Blindfolded con un tiempo de 23.48 segundos, escoltado por Angel David Alvarado Sandoval con 42.98 y Juan Pablo Rodriguez con 1:01.75. Julian Alejandro Forero Gonzalez completó una destacada actuación al imponerse en 4x4x4 Blindfolded con un registro de 4:06.35 y triunfar igualmente en 5x5x5 Blindfolded gracias a una marca de 6:57.45 como único competidor con resolución exitosa en esa prueba.

Con un balance integral de 27 podios conseguidos por representantes locales, el evento Regreso a Clases Bogotá 2023 cerró su calendario de competencias reafirmando el crecimiento técnico y la profundidad de participación en las distintas modalidades del speedcubing nacional en este 2023.