UCOM Paraguay 2023

David Emmanuel Velozo Cabrera secured the premier title of the weekend in Asunción, Paraguay, capturing first place in the 3x3x3 Cube with a winning average of 10.33 seconds and a best single of 9.35. The event concluded an action-packed schedule at Universidad Comunera during UCOM Paraguay 2023, held across April 15 and April 16, 2023. Over two days of intense competition, 47 competitors took part in 18 rounds across 13 distinct disciplines, bringing together a dedicated field for an unforgettable WCA competition.

While speedcubing disciplines demand frantic finger movement and rapid inspection, events requiring deeper mental stamina and specialized tactics offered a stark change of pace. From the intricate turns of side events to the blindfold discipline where memorisation must be converted into flawless execution without sight, competitors navigated a broad spectrum of challenges. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded round, Gustavo Riveiro finished atop the field alongside Pedro Henrique de Jesus Silva in an unforgiving event where neither managed a completed time, underscoring the raw difficulty of solving entirely from memory.

Velozo Cabrera doubled his gold tally over the weekend by taking victory in the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a winning average of 39.58 seconds and a single of 36.12 across two competitive rounds. He was pushed hard in the classic Rubik's Cube category, where 46 competitors battled through three full stages. In the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, Ana Burguez delivered a standout performance, earning first place with an 18.71 average ahead of Velozo Cabrera's 19.39 average and Brazilian competitor Pedro Henrique de Jesus Silva's 22.09 average.

Milko Sebastián Gutiérrez Arroyo emerged as the most prolific victor of the tournament, taking the top spot on three different podiums. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Gutiérrez Arroyo triumphed over a 35-competitor field with a 3.50 winning average, finishing ahead of Martin Alejandro Benítez López with 3.87 and Velozo Cabrera with 4.05. He added a second title in Megaminx with an average of 1:16.87, outperforming José Benítez and Josias Vallejos, before sealing a third gold in Skewb with a 4.48 average.

The big cube categories produced compelling races across the higher-order hardware. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Misael Alexander Mancuello Ayala claimed first place with an average of 1:21.30, followed closely by Gutiérrez Arroyo at 1:25.40 and José Benítez at 1:31.44. Benítez turned the tables in the largest puzzles, clinching top honors in the 6x6x6 Cube with a 2:57.27 average and securing the 7x7x7 Cube title in 4:06.23, besting Renato José Orrego Insfran and Gutiérrez Arroyo in both finals.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several competitors achieved remarkable milestones across the schedule. Matías Penayo Méndez delivered substantial drops in multiple events, trimming his 3x3x3 Cube mark to 19.12 seconds, which was 41.7 percent faster than his prior best, along with a 24 percent improvement in Megaminx to 2:30.10. Francisco Delso entered seven different events, securing an eighth-place finish in Skewb while posting a 3x3x3 One-Handed time of 47.96 seconds, marking a 23.9 percent improvement. Jorge Sol logged a personal best of 20.13 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube, improving by 5.8 percent, and registered a Pyraminx best of 6.49.

The depth of progression was evident across the roster throughout the cubing competition. Pedro Benjamín Uliambre Galeano earned a fifth-place finish in Square-1 with a personal best of 29.72 seconds, an improvement of 38.1 percent over his previous mark, while taking on seven events. Piero Alessandro Rugilo Alsina tackled ten disciplines, earning fifth place in Clock and setting a Skewb personal best of 12.51 seconds. Gabriel Cantanhêde Vieira made a 30.6 percent jump in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 30.72 single. Meanwhile, Elías Adrián González Castaño completed his first official tournament by taking ninth in Skewb with a 25.37 mark, and Sebastían Alejandro Campos Ramirez recorded initial times in three events, including an 8.18 in the 2x2x2 Cube.

Carlos Benjamin Mereles Martinez secured a double victory of his own, prevailing in the Pyraminx with an average of 6.18 seconds and capturing Clock in 12.00 seconds ahead of Gustavo Riveiro and Juan Manuel Franceschelli. Giovanni Mendez took the Square-1 crown with an average of 23.50 seconds and a single of 16.18. With Paraguayan entrants earning 35 podium places, Brazilian competitors taking 2, and Venezuelan contenders claiming 1, this speed cubing gathering reflected regional strength across every bracket.

The final 3x3 results capped an eventful schedule at UCOM Paraguay 2023, showcasing exceptional talent across both sprint puzzles and marathon solves. Competitors and organizers alike left Universidad Comunera with fresh personal benchmarks and renewed momentum as the competitive calendar moves forward toward the next season of play.