Solving in Sale 2026

Seventy-five competitors assembled at Catholic College Sale across three packed days of speedcubing action from April 17 to April 19. The regional gathering brought together 13 official events and 21 rounds, giving both seasoned veterans and rising talents plenty of opportunities to test their limits. Across the tables, the speed cubing weekend served as a showcase of rapid personal development, where newcomers and developing solvers made enormous leaps in their official times while competing alongside established names.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew the full field of 75 participants across three competitive rounds. Riley Dexter earned the top prize in the 3x3 results by posting a 6.03 winning average in the final round, highlighted by a blistering 3.81 single earlier in the event. David Epstein secured the runner-up spot on the podium with a 6.60 average, while Feliks Zemdegs rounded out the top three by registering a 6.74 mark on the classic Rubik's Cube.

Fast solving continued in the shorter formats, led by Phoenix Patterson in the 2x2x2 Cube. Patterson clinched the gold medal with an average of 1.53 seconds, holding off Firstian Fushada who recorded a 1.61 average for second place, with Harry Forbes taking third at 1.79. In Pyraminx, Miles Irwin delivered three strong rounds to win the event with a 2.19 average, bolstered by a 1.44 single. Firstian Fushada added two victories to his weekend haul, securing the Skewb title with a 2.07 average and capturing Megaminx with an average of 39.43 seconds.

Big cube solving saw Feliks Zemdegs claim a double victory, demonstrating exceptional consistency across the larger puzzles. Zemdegs captured the 4x4x4 Cube with a 24.45 average and a 23.31 best single, finishing ahead of Firstian Fushada at 25.01 and Andy Gong at 26.70. Zemdegs also topped the 5x5x5 Cube standings with a winning average of 43.48 and a fastest single of 37.99. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, David Epstein took first place with a 10.11 average, outperforming Phoenix Patterson at 11.20 and Firstian Fushada at 11.44.

Beyond the podium finishes, the competition revealed remarkable progress throughout the ranks as developing competitors achieved massive time drops across their schedules. Billy Wilson entered seven events and slashed his Skewb personal best down to 4.22 seconds, a 73.5 percent improvement over his previous mark of 15.95, while also setting a new Pyraminx best of 6.59. Bradley Razeng took on a demanding 11-event slate, lowering his 3x3x3 Blindfolded best by 63.2 percent to 57.56 seconds and completing his first attempts in 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 16:44.00 and 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with 2 out of 3 solved in 12:47. Drew Bernardi contested 10 events, dropping his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 65.4 percent to 27.86 seconds and making his first official 5x5x5 Cube attempt in 2:32.52. Spencer Van Heurck reduced his Skewb mark by 61.6 percent to 3.27 seconds across nine events, also debuting in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 50 moves.

The influx of emerging solvers brought several first-time achievements to this WCA competition in regional Victoria. Samuel Naylor contested five events and lowered his Skewb personal best by 56.4 percent to 3.12 seconds, while also logging his first official 3x3x3 One-Handed time of 30.78. Matthew De Fanti tackled 10 events, improving his 3x3x3 One-Handed time to 17.07 seconds and his Megaminx mark to 1:41.78, in addition to placing 9th in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 47 moves. Lachlan Austin took part in their first official tournament, taking on six events with initial marks of 15.33 in Skewb, 33.48 in 3x3x3, and 4:36.56 in Megaminx. Ollie Brayshaw also made their debut appearance, entering three events and setting baseline times of 24.98 in 3x3x3, 13.96 in Pyraminx, and 5.57 in 2x2x2.

The blindfolded categories became a showcase for Michael Tripodi, who swept all four memory-based disciplines. Tripodi captured the standard 3x3x3 Blindfolded title with a single of 20.83 seconds, edging out Firstian Fushada at 21.01 and Tam Quan at 23.62. In 4x4x4 Blindfolded, Tripodi took the win with a single of 1:42.86, followed by Firstian Fushada at 1:57.80 and Zayd Chaudhry at 3:58.31. Tripodi added the 5x5x5 Blindfolded victory with a 4:37.73 single, and rounded out his sweep by solving 36 out of 45 cubes in exactly one hour in 3x3x3 Multi-Blind.

Strategic solving concluded with 3x3x3 Fewest Moves, where Jayden McNeill won the single-round contest with a superb 20.33 average and a best solve of 19 moves. Riley Dexter secured second place on 27.00 moves, and Patrick Kleverlaan finished third with a 33.33 average. Across all events at Solving in Sale 2026, Australian competitors earned 29 podium spots while Indonesian competitors claimed 10 positions. With 75 competitors pushing their personal records and setting new baselines in Sale, Victoria, Australia, this cubing competition in 2026 demonstrated the depth of emerging talent ready to carry the community forward into the next season.