Rubik's WCA Asian Championship 2024

0.93 seconds. That was the astonishing average time required by Yiheng Wang to secure a two by two cube world record during the first round of the Rubik's WCA Asian Championship 2024. Building on that blistering speed, Wang tore through the elite field to claim the ultimate title. The event, held at the IOI Grand Exhibition & Convention Centre in Putrajaya, Malaysia, spanned four packed days from November 1 to November 4. It attracted a massive 560 competitors eager to prove their dexterity on the ultimate puzzle stage. This gathering saw not only regional prowess but global elite times being posted on the timing mats.

Wang was the undisputed star of the weekend. Moving from the smaller puzzle to the classic three by three, he secured the flagship title with a winning average of 4.42 seconds and a best single solve of 4.15 seconds. His 3x3 results left the rest of the 523 strong field trailing in his wake. In a sport where fractions of a second decide podiums, his margin of victory over compatriot Xuanyi Geng, who averaged 5.16 seconds, showcased absolute dominance. Poland's Tymon Kolasiński followed closely, grabbing third place with an impressive 5.32 second average in a fiercely competitive final round.

The relentless pace of this cubing competition extended beyond the standard three by three cube. In the two by two cube finals, Wang again took gold, clocking a 1.35 second average. Timofei Tarasenko of Russia secured silver with a 1.43 average, edging out China's Hansen Yu on a tiebreaker. Earlier rounds witnessed an absolute blitz of records for the two by two event, with Korea's Kyeongmin Choi securing a National record average of 1.35 seconds. Across the board, speed cubing at this level requires immense concentration and lightning fast turning speeds, elements these athletes displayed continuously.

In the four by four event, Kolasiński stepped out of Wang's shadow to secure a clear victory. Navigating the additional center pieces and edge pairing requirements with clinical precision, the Polish solver delivered a winning average of 21.71 seconds, backed by a staggering best single of 20.19 seconds. The field of 311 competitors in this category faced intense pressure over three rounds, but Kolasiński proved unstoppable. This victory added significant weight to his international resume, underlining his versatility across different cube sizes at a major WCA competition.

One handed solving demands a completely different mechanical approach to standard speedcubing, forcing competitors to rely entirely on finger tricks of a single hand. Ruihang Xu mastered these constraints flawlessly, taking the three by three one handed title. Xu posted a winning average of 9.45 seconds, with a phenomenal best single of 7.86 seconds. The Chinese solver outperformed Indonesia's Fahmi Aulia Rachman, who finished second with a 9.72 second average, while Zhen Chen completed the podium with a 10.16 second average, showcasing the incredible depth of talent in the 272 person field.

Blindfolded solving introduces a grueling mental challenge, demanding exhaustive memorisation alongside physical execution. The classic three by three blindfolded event saw Indonesia's Phillip Maxwell claim the gold with an impressive best single of 18.28 seconds. Japan's Masato Fujiwara took silver in 21.13 seconds, while Kaijun Lin of China secured bronze with 21.40. Lin also demonstrated his supreme memory skills in the formidable four by four blindfolded category. He won that event with a best single of 1:24.21, defeating Malaysia's Hill Pong Yong Feng, who stopped the clock at 1:33.58.

The range of puzzles tackled in Putrajaya stretched the limits of spatial reasoning. In the pyramids event, Lingkun Jiang secured the win with an incredible 1.42 second average. Cian Jyun Yang took the skewb title averaging 2.62 seconds. The megaminx, a dodecahedron puzzle, saw Timofei Tarasenko triumph with a 27.27 second average. Even larger puzzles tested endurance, with Kai Wen Wang winning the five by five cube averaging 37.33 seconds, and Lim Hung mastering the massive seven by seven cube in 1:49.31. Over 17 total events and 38 rounds, the Rubik's WCA Asian Championship 2024 proved a phenomenal display of skill.

As the dust settled on the IOI Grand Exhibition & Convention Centre, the medal table underscored a definitive shift in the competitive landscape. China dominated the podium placements, securing twenty medals across the diverse events. Korea followed with five, while Russia and Poland claimed four each. From the frantic turns of the standard Rubik's Cube to the silent, intense concentration of the multi blind event, won by Shivam Bansal with thirty eight cubes solved out of forty in under an hour, 2024 stands as a landmark year for the Asian speedcubing community.