Riobamba Open 2025

Pablo Sebastián Flores Peralta delivered a dominant four-event sweep at the Riobamba Open 2025, capped by an impressive 11.47-second average victory in the 3x3x3 Cube. The single-day tournament held on March 29, 2025, at the Centro de Arte y Cultura de Riobamba gathered 22 competitors in Riobamba, Ecuador. Across 11 rounds of high-intensity speedcubing, emerging talents and seasoned solvers tested their limits across eight official events. The weekend showcased remarkable rapid improvement among newer solvers who trimmed seconds off their personal benchmarks.

The premier classic Rubik's Cube final delivered the closest podium finish of the entire WCA competition. In the 3x3 results, Flores Peralta secured gold with his 11.47 winning average, bolstered by a 9.78 single solve. Emilio Andre Garzón Labre followed in second place with an average of 11.58, while Sebastián Mateo España Chango rounded out the podium at 11.93. The narrow margins across three full rounds of solving underlined the surging depth of the Ecuadorian speed cubing circuit.

Emilio Andre Garzón Labre turned the tables in the 2x2x2 Cube, claiming top honors with a lightning-fast 2.72 average and the best single time of the tournament at 1.57. Sebastián Mateo España Chango earned the silver medal with a 3.46 average, while Flores Peralta captured the bronze step on a 3.57 mark. Across two rounds of 2x2x2 solving, 19 competitors pushed through the bracket, highlighting how quickly youth solvers are accelerating their execution on the smaller puzzle.

Beyond the 3x3x3 Cube, Flores Peralta showed his mastery across a broad spectrum of disciplines at the Riobamba Open 2025. He claimed the 4x4x4 Cube title with an average of 47.61, outpacing Luis Fernando Aldás Cuestas who recorded 48.55 and Alex Loor who took bronze at 52.80. In Skewb, Flores Peralta posted a winning mark of 5.23, staying ahead of Loor at 5.89 and Alejandro Velasquez Torres at 6.02. His fourth gold arrived in Clock, winning comfortably with a 6.25 average.

Luis Fernando Aldás Cuestas stood out as the other multi-event champion at the Riobamba Open 2025. Aldás Cuestas secured the Pyraminx victory with a 7.78 average, finishing ahead of Velasquez Torres at 8.13 and Loor at 8.51. In Megaminx, he led a specialized four-solver final, taking gold with an average of 1:24.44 against Flores Peralta, who placed second at 1:27.00. Alex Loor claimed the 3x3x3 One-Handed title with an average of 21.95, topping Aldás Cuestas at 22.85 and Bryan Andres Campaña Sanchez at 23.20.

Behind the top podium spots, the event revealed immense progress from improving solvers across the roster. Chrístopher Hernández demonstrated the biggest leap of the day in the 2x2x2 Cube, recording a personal best of 5.94 to improve by 56.5 percent over his previous mark of 13.65. Nicolás Alejandro Gordón Estrella achieved a 44.4 percent improvement in 2x2x2 with a 3.80 personal best and lowered his 3x3x3 single to 13.82, a 31.7 percent drop, while entering his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with 30.72. Benjamin Baños posted a 5.97 personal best in 2x2x2 Cube, 34.8 percent faster than before, alongside an 18 percent drop in 3x3x3 Cube to 14.76.

That surge of development was visible in every corner of the venue as competitors expanded into new formats. Abril Cabezas Moreno took on seven events and registered personal bests of 13.86 in Clock, 29.37 in 3x3x3 One-Handed, and 6.91 in Pyraminx. Dylan Matías Gallardo Pozo dropped his 3x3x3 best by 22.8 percent to 17.69 and logged a first ever attempt in Clock at 17.91, finishing sixth in Pyraminx. Matías José Morales López also tackled seven events, logging a fifth-place finish in One-Handed and debut solves in 4x4x4 at 1:16.04, Skewb at 6.94, and One-Handed at 25.74. First-time competitor Ivan Naranjo placed seventh in 4x4x4 Cube with an opening mark of 57.15, while Danilo Eduardo Villarroel Mora made his official debut across two events with initial solves of 25.33 in 3x3x3 and 6.05 in 2x2x2.

Every one of the 24 podium placements across the eight events went to representatives of Ecuador, illustrating the collective strength within the national community. The single-day format tested endurance and adaptability across puzzles with varying turn styles, geometric structures, and mechanical requirements. Solvers navigated eleven competitive rounds seamlessly from morning qualification heats down to the final afternoon podiums.

As the Riobamba Open 2025 concluded at the Centro de Arte y Cultura de Riobamba, the tournament reinforced how rapidly the regional talent base is maturing. Between the multi-event triumphs of established winners and the steep learning curves conquered by newer competitors, the gathering proved that the domestic cubing competition circuit continues to build meaningful momentum.