Salt Lake Utah Summer 2023

Inside the University of Utah Union Ballroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, the rhythmic clatter of plastic pieces echoed across 30 rounds of action from May 19 to May 21, 2023. A massive field of 262 competitors assembled for three days of intense speedcubing across 16 official disciplines. The sprawling venue hummed with focused energy as solvers rotated through judging stations, scrambling tables, and finals brackets, bringing the local speed cubing community together for a premier WCA competition.

The most dramatic finish of the entire weekend unfolded in the Skewb final, where the top three places were decided by mere fractions of a second. Canyon Pettitt captured the victory with an average of 3.61 seconds, holding off runner-up Jacob Levie, who finished four hundredths behind at 3.65. Ace Schembri claimed third place right on their heels with a 3.73 average. With just twelve hundredths of a second spanning the entire podium, the discipline delivered an electrifying showcase of precision.

The 3x3x3 Cube, the premier Rubik's Cube category, featured a massive 251 competitors battling through three rounds. Eric Pesci seized the top spot on the podium by delivering a decisive 8.30 winning average and a best single time of 7.55 in the final round. These official 3x3 results capped a dominant multi-event showing for Pesci, who demonstrated remarkable consistency across several puzzle sizes throughout the weekend.

Pesci went on to secure a trio of victories by claiming the titles in both 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Pesci took first place with an average of 34.56 seconds against 74 competitors, alongside a best single of 30.29. In 5x5x5 Cube, Pesci finished first with a 1:04.44 average, just ahead of Jihu Mun at 1:05.80 and Cade Beck at 1:13.28. Pesci also took second in 2x2x2 Cube behind winner Peter Augustine, who recorded an impressive 2.64 winning average.

Away from the top of the podium, Salt Lake Utah Summer 2023 served as a launchpad for remarkable individual milestones and breakthroughs. Jake Ryker Nelson delivered one of the weekend's biggest leaps, recording a Skewb personal best of 8.69 seconds, which was 77.6 percent faster than his previous mark of 38.78, while also making his first ever attempts at 2x2x2 Cube with a 10.75 and Pyraminx with a 13.81. Cooper D. Adams improved his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 47.4 percent down to 26.12 seconds and took on his first official rounds in 2x2x2 Cube and Skewb. Taren Beenken achieved a 42.8 percent drop in 2x2x2 Cube with a 3.51 mark while trying 4x4x4 Cube and 3x3x3 One-Handed for the first time. Ollie Beck lowered his 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 40.5 percent to 19.30 and took his first official turns in Square-1 and 5x5x5 Cube.

The ambitious multi-event schedules produced standout breakthroughs across the board. Bennett Jenkins dropped his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 33 percent to 52.87 seconds while attempting 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube for the first time. Charlie Grigg improved his 2x2x2 Cube best by 31.9 percent to 2.60 seconds alongside debut attempts in 4x4x4 Cube and 5x5x5 Cube. Dylan Evans tackled nine events, earning a 5th-place finish in 7x7x7 Cube and logging his first attempts at 6x6x6 Cube, Pyraminx, and Skewb. Rebecca Hebert completed a demanding 11-event program at Salt Lake Utah Summer 2023, highlighted by her first official attempts in 4x4x4 Cube, 5x5x5 Cube, and Clock.

Multiple disciplines saw athletes excel across specialized puzzle styles. Ruby Lu achieved a double victory by winning 3x3x3 One-Handed with an average of 15.22 seconds and Megaminx with a 1:00.02 average. Canyon Pettitt added a second gold medal by topping the 99-competitor Pyraminx field with a 4.79 average. In Square-1, Calvin Nielson took first place with a 6.90 average, while Samuel Baird took the Clock crown with a 5.91 average.

The big cube contests highlighted high-level consistency. Jihu Mun secured the 6x6x6 Cube title with a 2:02.00 average, besting Cade Beck at 2:11.95 and Eric Pesci at 2:12.65. In 7x7x7 Cube, Nevign Angelique Besas captured first place for the Philippines with a 2:50.63 average, leading Mun and Beck onto the podium.

The blindfolded events tested pure memory across standard and larger cubes. Brendan Bakker won 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a best single of 24.68 seconds and secured the 3x3x3 Multi-Blind victory with 16 out of 22 cubes solved in 57:49. Samuel Baird won 4x4x4 Blindfolded with a 6:26.21 single, while Jared Blanco took top honors in 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a time of 20:15.00, putting an exclamation point on an expansive cubing competition as Salt Lake Utah Summer 2023 drew to a close.