Tarija Speed Fest 2024

Arleth Magaly Polanco Condori delivered one of the weekend's most astonishing leaps forward at Tarija Speed Fest 2024, slicing her 3x3x3 Cube personal best from 42.75 seconds down to 15.85 seconds, an improvement of 62.9 percent. That sensational drop set the tone for an action-packed weekend of speedcubing at the Cine MegaCenter venue in Tarija, Bolivia. Held across October 19 to October 20, the tournament gathered 49 competitors contesting 9 official events across 16 rounds of intense, high-focus solving.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube event drew a large field of 46 entrants across three stages of competition. Luis Ernesto Gutierrez Tolaba emerged victorious in the final round, locking down the gold medal with a winning average of 10.16 seconds alongside a tournament-best single solve of 8.50 seconds. Fabricio Andrés Yañez Terrazas finished closely behind in second place with a 10.87 average, while Joseph Daniel Blas Sanchez took third on an 11.39 average. The standard of the 3x3 results demonstrated the growing technical depth among speed cubing talent in the region.

Fabricio Andrés Yañez Terrazas put together a remarkable all-around campaign, capturing four separate titles during the two days of competition. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Yañez Terrazas secured victory with an average of 3.19 seconds, leading Mauricio Vilte Rocabado who averaged 4.01 and Joseph Daniel Blas Sanchez at 4.74. Yañez Terrazas also took the top step in Pyraminx with an average of 5.13 seconds, narrowly edging Blas Sanchez on 5.18 and Rodrigo Ugarte on 5.78, before claiming gold in Skewb with a 7.13 average.

The big cubes provided another showcase for top-tier execution. Joseph Daniel Blas Sanchez won the 4x4x4 Cube division with a 38.00 average, beating out Yañez Terrazas who clocked 38.60 and Ugarte who finished at 38.69. Yañez Terrazas responded immediately in the 5x5x5 Cube final, taking first place on a 1:06.61 average over Blas Sanchez on 1:14.57. Meanwhile, Luis Ernesto Gutierrez Tolaba added a second gold medal to his tally in the Megaminx, securing a 51.26 average to finish ahead of Yañez Terrazas at 56.71 and Blas Sanchez at 1:11.38.

Specialist solving disciplines tested versatility and concentration at Tarija Speed Fest 2024. In 3x3x3 One-Handed, Alvaro Javier Viscarra Catacora handled the single-handed requirements brilliantly, winning the title with a 16.30 average over Yañez Terrazas at 17.38 and Gutierrez Tolaba at 18.73. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, where competitors must commit the puzzle layout to memory before solving without sight, Nelson Rodrigo Rios was the only finalist to register a completed result, securing the win with a single time of 6:11.77.

Beneath the podium battles, huge individual strides marked this WCA competition across the board. Elissa Nicole Torrejón Zenteno entered five events and improved her 3x3x3 Cube personal best from 41.56 down to 15.52 seconds, a 62.7 percent improvement, while also logging a first attempt at Megaminx of 3:12.10 and a 1:39.01 in 4x4x4 Cube. Fernanda Abigail Zuazo Lopez lowered her Rubik's Cube mark by 56.2 percent with a 20.48 personal best, alongside initial marks in 2x2x2 Cube with 5.88 and 3x3x3 One-Handed with 55.96. Jorge Roberto Rico Condori dropped his classic cube best by 41.2 percent to 17.04 seconds and posted a 3.97 in his first 2x2x2 Cube effort.

Other competitors took on brand new challenges with impressive dedication. Juan Martin Ayala Balcazar improved his 3x3x3 mark by 32.4 percent to 20.48 seconds while taking first-ever attempts at Pyraminx with 11.10 and 3x3x3 One-Handed with 1:04.75. Rodrigo Parraga competed across six events, posting first-ever official times in Skewb of 16.63, 3x3x3 One-Handed of 36.51, and 4x4x4 Cube of 1:45.68. Alejandro Dilmar Fernández Velásquez tackled four events, earning fifth in Skewb on an opening mark of 12.94, alongside a 6.15 in 2x2x2 Cube and 2:31.70 in Megaminx. Fernando Choque Gaspar posted a 58.25 in his 4x4x4 Cube debut and placed seventh, while Matias Lamas Cachambi cut his Pyraminx personal best by 38.3 percent down to 12.41 seconds.

First-time entrants also made an immediate impression at Tarija Speed Fest 2024. Lucas Fabian Ibañez Choque took on four events in his very first tournament appearance, finishing fifth in 2x2x2 Cube with a 5.22 first attempt, an 11.59 in Pyraminx, and a 17.87 in 3x3x3 Cube. Leonel Carrasco recorded an 11.86 in 3x3x3 Cube and a 3.51 in 2x2x2 Cube on debut, while Adrian Choque Burgos placed tenth in 2x2x2 Cube with an opening mark of 4.95. Mario Acuña likewise opened his competitive record with an eleventh-place 3.74 in 2x2x2 Cube.

The overall medal breakdown reflected intense regional rivalry, with competitors from Bolivia collecting 21 podium places and Peru securing 7 across the weekend. From the multi-title sweeps of Yañez Terrazas and Gutierrez Tolaba to the dozens of personal bests recorded by rising solvers, the 2024 cubing competition in Tarija highlighted a thriving community ready for the next chapter of official competition.