Østervang Open 2023

The sports hall at Østervangsskolen filled with the steady rhythm of turning layers and tapping timers as solvers arrived from across Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Travel bags rested beneath the tables while 65 competitors settled in for a busy two-day schedule spanning May 6 to May 7. The 2023 gathering transformed the school venue into a bustling arena of concentration, where participants journeyed to test their skills across 11 official events and 22 rounds of tournament play.

The Østervang Open 2023 delivered intense drama at the solving stations, anchored by the classic Rubik's Cube. In the premier 3x3x3 Cube event, Martin Vædele Egdal led the field of 64 competitors across three rounds to take the title with an average of 7.22 seconds, highlighted by a sharp best single of 5.19 seconds. Mathias Søndergaard Byrne secured second place with an average of 8.11 seconds, edging past Magnus Søndergaard Byrne, who finished third with an average of 8.13 seconds in the final 3x3 results.

Martin Vædele Egdal put together an exceptional weekend across multiple disciplines, earning first place in five separate categories. Aside from his 3x3x3 Cube triumph, he topped the 4x4x4 Cube standings with an average of 27.47 seconds and a best single of 25.69 seconds, while also winning Square-1 with an average of 8.71 seconds. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Martin secured another gold with a 13.09 average, and he went on to win 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a best single solve of 23.08 seconds.

Daniel Vædele Egdal also delivered standout performances throughout the cubing competition, claiming top honours in two fast-paced events. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Daniel took the win with a 2.20-second average, finishing ahead of Martin Vædele Egdal at 2.30 seconds and Magnus Søndergaard Byrne at 2.49 seconds. Daniel added a second victory in Skewb, posting a winning average of 2.53 seconds with a best single of 2.09 seconds, once again finishing ahead of Martin, who took second with 3.41 seconds.

The weekend featured strong displays from international and local specialists alike. Germany's Patrick Bolte claimed the Pyraminx title with an average of 3.43 seconds, edging Martin Vædele Egdal's 3.49-second average and Magnus Søndergaard Byrne's 3.92 seconds. In the Clock event, Victor Valentin Glyrskov captured first place with an average of 6.38 seconds, while Daniel Anker Hermansen took double gold in the advanced memory events, winning 4x4x4 Blindfolded with an average of 2:29.59 and 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a single of 5:05.60.

Beyond the podium battles, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones in their personal progression. Alfred Lyngby Bach, competing in eight events, delivered a huge breakthrough in Clock with a personal best of 10.06 seconds, which was 58.3 percent faster than his previous mark, alongside a 3x3x3 Cube personal best of 7.46 seconds that helped him reach sixth place. Nikolaj Sajfutdinov Stenz took on eight events, setting a Pyraminx personal best of 6.46 seconds, 45.2 percent faster than before, while improving his Square-1 best to 41.81 seconds and making his first ever attempt at Clock with a 30.78-second solve. Luka Ota Teilmann cut 44.1 percent off his Skewb mark with an 8.77-second personal best, made a first Clock attempt of 31.05 seconds, and improved his Pyraminx time to 8.70 seconds. Sofia Have Manor dropped 34.3 percent off her 3x3x3 Cube time with an 18.52 personal best, improved her 2x2x2 Cube mark to 6.28 seconds, and logged a first Clock solve of 9.82 seconds.

The personal breakthroughs continued across the arena as newer events brought out fresh achievements. Magne Lintrup improved his 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 30 percent down to 18.87 seconds, lowered his Skewb best to 7.47 seconds, and completed his first Clock solve in 15.17 seconds. Lauritz Leer set a 2x2x2 Cube personal best of 1.97 seconds, a 29.9 percent drop, added a 3x3x3 Cube best of 13.44 seconds, and took on Pyraminx for the first time with a 5.05 single to finish seventh in 2x2x2. Sigurd Hjalte Frier logged maiden attempts in three separate formats, registering 5.22 seconds in Skewb for a 17th-place finish, 8.07 seconds in Pyraminx, and 35.83 seconds in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Luke Justin Tuohy also expanded his repertoire with first tournament attempts in Skewb at 8.84 seconds, Pyraminx at 6.89 seconds, and 2x2x2 Cube at 7.43 seconds.

The high level of execution made this WCA competition a memorable stop on the calendar for Danish speed cubing enthusiasts. Host nation competitors collected 31 podium positions over the two days in Roskilde, Denmark, while visiting athletes from Germany and the United Kingdom secured a podium place each. Across every round, participants pushed their boundaries and celebrated new benchmarks.

As the final timers were packed away and results tallied, the Østervang Open 2023 concluded as a showcase of versatility and dedication. From blindfolded marathons to sub-three-second sprint solves, the event highlighted the depth of talent travelling to compete together and set the stage for another exciting season ahead.

7,22 sekunder i gennemsnit i finalen på den klassiske Rubik's Cube cementerede en forrygende weekend, da Østervang Open 2023 løb af stablen i Roskilde, Denmark. I alt 65 deltagere mødtes på Østervangsskolen over to intense dage den 6. og 7. maj 2023. Med 11 officielle discipliner og 22 runder på programmet bød denne cubing competition på masser af action i det danske speedcubing-miljø.

Martin Vædele Egdal satte et tungt aftryk på stævnet ved at vinde hele fem discipliner. Hovedbegivenheden, 3x3x3 Cube, sikrede han sig med et vindende gennemsnit på 7,22 sekunder og en bedste single på 5,19 foran Mathias Søndergaard Byrne på 8,11 og Magnus Søndergaard Byrne på 8,13 blandt 64 deltagere. Martin tog sig ligeledes af 4x4x4 Cube med et gennemsnit på 27,47 foran Magnus Patrick Kanstrup på 31,25 samt 3x3x3 One-Handed i 13,09, hvor Magnus Søndergaard Byrne fulgte på 14,86.

Succesen stoppede ikke der for Martin Vædele Egdal. Han sikrede sig også førstepladsen i Square-1 med et gennemsnit på 8,71, hvor Magnus Søndergaard Byrne blev toer med 13,12 og Daniel Heberg Jørgensen treer med 13,25 blandt 24 deltagere. Dertil vandt Martin den blinde disciplin 3x3x3 Blindfolded med en hurtigste tid på 23,08 sekunder foran 19 deltagere, selvom hans finalegennemsnit endte som DNF.

Hans bror Daniel Vædele Egdal leverede også en række fremragende præstationer og erobrede to guldmedaljer. I 2x2x2 Cube sejrede Daniel med et gennemsnit på 2,20 mod Martins 2,30 og Magnus Søndergaard Byrnes 2,49 i et felt på 60 deltagere. Daniel vandt også Skewb med et gennemsnit på 2,53 foran Martin på 3,41 og Daniel Heberg Jørgensen på 4,21, mens han tog sølv i Clock med 6,94 og bronze i 3x3x3 One-Handed.

De øvrige discipliner bød ligeledes på stærke vindere under Østervang Open 2023. Victor Valentin Glyrskov sejrede i Clock med et gennemsnit på 6,38 og rundens hurtigste enkeltforsøg på 4,59. I Pyraminx gik sejren til tyske Patrick Bolte med et gennemsnit på 3,43 foran Martin Vædele Egdal på 3,49. De store terninger med bind for øjnene blev domineret af Daniel Anker Hermansen, som vandt 4x4x4 Blindfolded med et gennemsnit på 2:29,59 og 5x5x5 Blindfolded med en single på 5:05,60.

Uden for medaljekampen gemte resultatlisten på markante personlige fremskridt. Emil Engberg Havsteen stillede op i 10 discipliner, opnåede en 4. plads i 4x4x4 Blindfolded og barberede 58,6 procent af sin personlige rekord i Skewb med 2,88 samt 19 procent i 3x3x3 Blindfolded med 1:54.65 og 15,8 procent i Clock med 11,72. David Klausen forbedrede sin rekord i 3x3x3 One-Handed med 34,9 procent til 22,91, i 4x4x4 Cube med 18,8 procent til 54,76 og i 3x3x3 Cube til 12,82, hvilket var 11,4 procent hurtigere end tidligere. Sejr Wilde Abrahamsen deltog i 6 discipliner, leverede sit første officielle forsøg i 4x4x4 Cube på 2:10.86, og forbedrede sine rekorder med 27,1 procent i 2x2x2 Cube til 4,50 og 5,7 procent i 3x3x3 One-Handed til 50,84. Dante Goertz Olsen kappede 32,4 procent af sin Skewb-rekord med 9,30, 29,4 procent af 2x2x2 Cube med 4,01 og 13,2 procent af 3x3x3 One-Handed med 43,88.

Fire deltagere fik deres allerførste oplevelse ved en officiel WCA competition og viste flot alsidighed. Simon Ambjørn Groth deltog i fire discipliner og registrerede sine første tider på 52,34 i 3x3x3 Cube, 14,93 i Skewb og 13,65 i Pyraminx. Levi Butenko gennemførte ligeledes sine første officielle forsøg i fire discipliner med 39,19 i 3x3x3 Cube, 14,95 i Skewb og 11,50 i Pyraminx. Robert Henriksen noterede 6,91 i 2x2x2 Cube, 14,42 i Skewb og 6,81 i Pyraminx, mens Nor Tofte Jensen startede sin karriere i fire discipliner med tiderne 27,64 i 3x3x3 Cube, 6,61 i 2x2x2 Cube og 23,80 i Skewb.

Med 31 danske podieplaceringer ud af 33 mulige understregede stævnet den store bredde og det høje niveau i Danmark. Østervang Open 2023 samlede både etablerede stjerner og nye talenter over 22 velafviklede runder, og weekenden i Roskilde gav masser af gode erfaringer og stærke tider med videre mod de kommende udfordringer.