Spring Breeze in Burnaby 2026

Inside the Bonsor Recreation Complex on May 3, 2026, the venue was alive with the rapid rhythmic clicking of plastic turning mechanisms across rows of competition tables. Solvers warmed up their fingers, carefully checked their puzzle tensions, and monitored the timing displays throughout the single-day event in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The floor held a gathering of 80 participants ready to test their practice against the official timer across 11 scheduled rounds.

The youth and rapid growth throughout the local scene stood front and centre as emerging solvers displayed massive leaps in speed. This speedcubing meet offered five official disciplines, giving both seasoned entrants and ambitious newer competitors a chance to show their progress on the regional stage. Across every event, fast inspection routines and sharp turn rates illustrated just how quickly developing talent is reshaping leaderboards in this cubing competition.

In the flagship 3x3x3 Cube, Ethan Rusnak delivered an outstanding performance to claim victory over a field of 77 competitors. Rusnak maintained composure across three tense rounds, finishing the final with a winning average of 7.51 seconds alongside the single fastest solve of the event at 6.82 seconds. The 3x3 results saw Xuanyu Sun secure second place with an 8.00 average, narrowly edging Brian Sun who took third place with an average of 8.04 seconds.

The 2x2x2 Cube provided another high-intensity clash across two fast rounds featuring 68 competitors. Saharsh Sai Vontela of the United States earned the gold medal with a winning average of 2.09 seconds and a tournament-best single of 1.46. Kevin Lê took second place for Canada with a close 2.12 average, while Ethan Rusnak returned to the podium to collect third place with an average of 2.38.

Beyond the top podium steps, the weekend highlighted tremendous personal progress from determined competitors making remarkable strides. Mael Aram Sanderson entered three events and delivered a massive leap, dropping their 3x3x3 Cube personal best to 8.62 seconds, which was 62 percent faster than their previous 22.67 mark, while also recording a first official attempt of 2.38 in the 2x2x2 Cube and finishing 15th overall in the 3x3x3. Felix Longhurst cut their 3x3x3 Cube mark by 56.3 percent down to 25.23 seconds and sliced their 2x2x2 Cube record by 52.5 percent to 6.10, alongside an 8.12 on a first Skewb attempt. Cheng Cheng took on four events, cutting their 3x3x3 One-Handed personal best by 51.4 percent to 16.42 seconds and dropping their Skewb mark by 21.2 percent to 5.29 to secure a 9th-place finish in 2x2x2. Yu-Ruei Chen also made substantial progress across five disciplines, lowering their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 47.4 percent down to 2.31 seconds, earning 5th place in Skewb with a personal best of 5.43, and logging a first Clock try of 18.08.

First-time official attempts and expansive multi-event rosters added further excitement across the competition tables. Cody Bontuyan took on five events at their first WCA competition, logging initial marks of 5.06 seconds in the 2x2x2 Cube, 12.31 in Skewb, and 16.26 in the 3x3x3 Cube. Preston Chang completed a busy schedule of five events, recording first-ever attempts in three disciplines with a 5.01 in the 2x2x2 Cube, 19.32 in Clock, and 27.72 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Bentley Hilman entered five events, cutting their Skewb personal best by 25.7 percent to 7.20 seconds while establishing baseline marks of 16.44 in Clock and 32.88 in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Oliver Kaplan tackled five events as well, logging a 10.72 personal best in Clock, which was 8.8 percent faster, while recording first attempts of 14.81 in Skewb and 34.04 in 3x3x3 One-Handed.

Specialty puzzle events brought additional drama throughout the afternoon schedule. In Skewb, Kevin Lê posted a winning average of 2.54 seconds and a top single of 2.11 to capture first place ahead of Thailand competitor Tonnam Tantikamnerdkul with a 4.57 average and Justin Chew with 5.69. Callen Kleij commanded the Clock final, taking the top spot with a winning average of 4.94 seconds and a single of 4.57, while Reese Pimentel placed second with 7.50 and Jeremy Xiang took third with 7.66.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed event tested technical dexterity over two competitive rounds. Kenny Zhong navigated the final with steady executions on the classic Rubik's Cube mechanism, winning the event with an average of 14.19 seconds and a best single of 13.26. Ethan Rusnak took silver with an average of 14.53, while Noah Stelting completed the top three with an average of 14.87.

With 13 podium finishes earned by Canadian competitors alongside international awards for the United States and Thailand, the action highlighted the healthy breadth of regional speed cubing. Spring Breeze in Burnaby 2026 proved to be an inspiring showcase of rising talent, rapid personal improvements, and determined problem solving across every single bracket.