Western Ontario Winter 2025

Matthew Lee sealed a thrilling victory in the classic Rubik's Cube final at Western Ontario Winter 2025, recording a decisive 7.01-second winning average to top a massive 95-person field. The London, Ontario, Canada contest on March 23, 2025, gathered 96 competitors at the University of Western Ontario University Community Centre for a dense single-day tournament spanning six distinct events and nine rounds of action. Lee held off intense pressure from runner-up Morgan Yeh, whose 7.06 average came within five hundredths of a second of the title, while George Scholey took third on the podium with a 7.49 average.

For dozens of competitors walking into the university venue, the speedcubing gathering represented their very first taste of an official WCA competition. Taking the competition stage for the first time brings a distinct atmosphere, from the rhythm of the fifteen-second inspection window to the sudden stop of the timer pad. First-time competitors Zia Dizon, Wilson Giresi, Connor McLaren Arnett, and Kai Anttila each completed their maiden solves under the scrutiny of judges, translating home practice into official marks.

Across the schedule, individual breakthroughs defined the tournament floor alongside the podium battles. Erik Enecio Jr. delivered massive personal bests in all three of his registered events, cutting his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark to 35.24 seconds, which was 64.6 percent faster than his prior standard, while also chopping 53 percent off his 3x3x3 Cube time to reach 12.79 seconds and improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark to 6.96 seconds. Tyler Sadites took on six events, securing fourth place in Clock with a personal best of 6.25 seconds that was 55.9 percent faster than before, trimming his 4x4x4 Cube mark to 44.08 seconds, and logging his first ever official 3x3x3 One-Handed attempt with a time of 16.96 seconds.

The progress continued across the scorecards as Nathaniel Gionette improved his 5x5x5 Cube best by 48.1 percent down to 1:38.89, carved 39.5 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube mark to finish in 46.51 seconds, and logged a first ever attempt in Clock at 19.67 seconds. Alex Tompkins registered his first ever attempts in both 5x5x5 Cube at 3:56.17 and 4x4x4 Cube at 2:09.42, while posting a 2x2x2 Cube best of 9.62 seconds that was 42.5 percent faster. David Harrison-Perez logged his first ever 2x2x2 Cube attempt at 4.33 seconds and improved his 3x3x3 Cube best to 14.66 seconds, a 39.1 percent jump. David-Nuo Cheng shaved 51.2 percent off his Clock best to hit 13.95 seconds, Terry DeCoste tackled his first attempts in 2x2x2 Cube and 4x4x4 Cube while improving his 3x3x3 Cube best by 23.5 percent to 19.10 seconds, and Jacob Chaimovitz logged first-ever attempts in three separate puzzles.

Beyond the newcomers, Arhaan Sareen put on a dominant display in the larger puzzle categories. Sareen captured the 4x4x4 Cube title with an average of 27.22 seconds, finishing ahead of Morgan Yeh at 29.77 and Yeguk Kim at 30.04. Sareen followed up that triumph by securing the 5x5x5 Cube gold with a 45.53 average and an event-best single of 38.73 seconds, once again besting Morgan Yeh, who posted a 49.39 average, and third-place Nathan Chiem at 55.50.

In the 2x2x2 Cube competition, George Scholey from the United Kingdom captured first place across two rounds, setting a winning average of 1.88 seconds and a single of 1.34 seconds. Sareen picked up a silver medal with an average of 2.08 seconds, while Matthew Lee secured the bronze step on the podium at 2.30 seconds. The event was particularly active across the leaderboard, as ten competitors lowered their personal benchmark singles and averages during the rounds.

One-handed solving tested finger dexterity and precision over a single round of forty-one entrants. Roan Paone claimed the 3x3x3 One-Handed victory for Canada with a smooth 11.34-second average and an event-leading 11.00 single. Lee added another podium finish to his tally by claiming second place with a 12.15 average, while Scholey earned third with a mark of 12.73 seconds.

Mechanical precision took center stage in the Clock event, where Jonathan Wang took top honours with a winning average of 4.01 seconds and a blistering single of 2.65 seconds. Caleb Alonzo Martinez claimed second place with a 4.65 average, followed closely by Nathan Glajch in third at 6.25 seconds. Across the board, Canadian competitors locked down fifteen total podium spots, with three claimed by the United Kingdom.

With the final 3x3 results posted and verified, Western Ontario Winter 2025 concluded a packed schedule that celebrated both elite precision and debut milestones. For the first-time entrants and experienced speed cubing regulars in attendance, the London tournament offered a fast-paced arena to test new techniques, set career benchmarks, and build momentum for the remainder of the competitive year.