Welcome Back Hamilton 2026

The 3x3x3 Cube final came down to the wire at The Hardy Centre as Jesse Brooke secured the championship title with an 8.25 winning average. Across three rounds featuring 45 competitors, Brooke delivered when the margins narrowed most, logging a weekend-best single of 6.52 along the way. Levi Eyou pushed the pace with an 8.71 average to take second place, while Brandon Harris claimed third on the podium at 8.83. The clutch finish in the traditional Rubik's Cube headliner set the tone for an intense weekend of speedcubing action in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Staged across May 9 and May 10, Welcome Back Hamilton 2026 gathered 48 competitors across seven distinct events and 19 total rounds. The 2026 fixture brought together seasoned title-chasers and newcomers alike, testing their solving across multiple formats and disciplines. From rapid twisty puzzles to long-form blindfolded trials, the speed cubing tournament delivered high-stakes turnarounds from the opening scrambles on Saturday morning through to the Sunday afternoon podium presentations.

Brooke doubled his gold medal tally in the 3x3x3 One-Handed event, securing victory with a sharp 12.77 average and an 11.70 best single. Lachlan Gibson finished runner-up with an average of 13.98, while Harrison Marsden rounded out the podium spots at 14.27. Gibson found his own victory in the 4x4x4 Cube, topping the 32-player field with a winning mark of 30.96 and a single of 29.05, staying clear of brothers Elyas Eyou at 32.90 and Levi Eyou at 33.57.

Samoan representative Vincent Stowers delivered a standout performance in the record column, rewriting national marks in both 3x3x3 One-Handed and the 4x4x4 Cube. Stowers established Samoan national records with a 43.25 single and a 1:08.12 average in one-handed solving. He matched that form on the bigger cube, posting national records of 1:12.23 single and 1:21.12 average, cementing a memorable WCA competition appearance.

Away from the top steps of the podium, several competitors logged significant personal breakthroughs. Vincent Stowers dropped his 4x4x4 Cube personal best to 1:12.23, an improvement of 46 percent over his previous mark of 2:13.78, while taking on his first ever attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 43.25. Henko Olivier tackled five events and cut his Pyraminx personal best to 4.66, which was 39.5 percent faster than his prior 7.70, alongside a first career try at one-handed solving at 38.54. Benji Kane dropped his 3x3x3 Cube best by 34.9 percent down to 15.32 and took on his first Clock attempt at 13.85. Nathan Zhao shaved 36.5 percent off his one-handed benchmark with a new best of 32.64.

That progress continued across the broader field as competitors expanded their event repertoires. Jihan Wu entered seven events, making first career attempts in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 2:14.89, Clock at 10.23, and One-Handed at 18.59, finishing sixth in blindfolded solving. Quinn Carson improved his 3x3x3 Cube record by 36.6 percent down to 25.49. For Toby Dixon, this cubing competition marked a WCA debut featuring four events, opening with a 6.40 Pyraminx run and a 22.30 3x3x3 solve. Fellow debutant Max Puckey tackled three events, posting initial competition marks of 10.32 in 2x2x2 Cube and 54.92 in the 3x3x3.

The 2x2x2 Cube title went to Yuki Gao, who produced a 1.65 average and a 1.21 single to take first place ahead of Elyas Eyou at 1.76 and India's Ram Thakkar at 1.85. Elyas Eyou claimed gold of his own in the Pyraminx, leading the standings with a rapid 1.92 average, followed by Benjamin Gardner at 2.71 and Levi Eyou at 2.76. In the Clock event, Elvis Chung posted a commanding 3.32 winning average and a 2.36 best single, finishing ahead of Dylan Heerikhuisen and Levi Eyou.

Memory and execution were tested in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, which requires complete memorisation before solving without sight. Xavier Courteau-Laing captured the victory with a 27.05 average and a 22.65 single, finishing clear of Jerry Jiang at 45.65 and Caleb Hall at 1:53.35. Across all disciplines, New Zealand competitors collected 19 podium placements, while China and India earned one each.

With nineteen rounds concluded and official 3x3 results locked into the rankings, Welcome Back Hamilton 2026 drew to a close having delivered tense finals, multiple national benchmarks, and dozens of personal milestones. The gathering in Hamilton showed the depth of local and visiting talent as competitors packed up their puzzles with an eye toward the next season of speedcubing.