CubingUSA Western Championship 2024

Max Park delivered a tour de force in San Diego, California, USA, capturing six championship titles across a packed weekend of high-stakes speedcubing. As the premier regional fixture of the late summer circuit, the CubingUSA Western Championship 2024 marked a pivotal checkpoint for elite form, drawing 217 competitors to the University of California San Diego from August 2 to August 4. Park set the benchmark across the big cubes and standard formats, sealing the flagship 3x3x3 Cube crown with a 6.45 average after posting a blistering 5.21 best single during the four-round battle.

The main event final concluded with exceptional parity near the top of the standings, highlighting how fierce the regional season has grown. Max Siauw claimed the silver medal in 3x3 with a 6.51 average, narrowly edging Varun Mohanraj who secured third place on a 6.55 mark. Park took gold across all six of his final appearances, adding triumphs in 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 10.44 average, 4x4x4 Cube with a 22.74 average, and 5x5x5 Cube with a 36.36 winning mark. He also swept the biggest puzzles, clocking 1:05.66 in 6x6x6 Cube and 1:45.73 in 7x7x7 Cube.

International talent also made a profound impression on the podiums throughout the three-day WCA competition. Kyeongmin Choi from Korea put on a masterclass in versatility, securing three individual victories across drastically different disciplines. Choi claimed the 2x2x2 Cube title with a 1.78 winning average, edged out the competition in Megaminx with a 31.49 average, and solved blindfolded under immense pressure to win 4x4x4 Blindfolded in 6:01.56. In the 2x2 final, Choi edged Joaquin Ruenes Hernández of Mexico, who took second in 1.81, while Siauw claimed third place with 2.14.

Blindfolded solving and specialist categories provided several of the weekend's most memorable technical displays. Graham Siggins swept the remaining memory events, claiming first place in 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 20.75 winning average, winning 5x5x5 Blindfolded with a 3:26.12 single, and topping 3x3x3 Multi-Blind by successfully resolving 59 out of 64 cubes in 58:42. In the 3x3 blind final, Siauw finished runner-up on 22.55 and David Karalli earned third in 24.85. The side events also saw Marcus Kamen win Pyraminx with a 2.20 average, Taj Bressert take Skewb in 2.87, Ethan Yeh seize Clock with 4.83, and Siauw secure the Square-1 title with a 6.32 average.

Beneath the top podium finishes, the weekend provided countless personal breakthroughs across the 35 rounds of action. Jack Puffer tackled three events at the competition, slicing his 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 8.84, which was 68.5 percent faster than his prior 28.08 mark, alongside a Pyraminx debut of 14.56. Avery Garcia entered nine events, trimming his Skewb best to 5.85, a massive 59.7 percent drop from 14.53, while setting his first ever 5x5x5 Cube mark at 1:43.82. Knox Gardinier contested 11 disciplines, cutting his Skewb record by 57.4 percent down to 8.06 while registering first-time marks in Megaminx at 3:27.12 and Square-1 at 54.74. Collin Oh took on nine events, improving his 2x2x2 personal best by 56.1 percent to 1.38 while recording his first official 5x5x5 mark of 3:54.78.

The drive to expand repertoires continued across the roster of competitors in San Diego. Santino Signorile competed in 10 events, cutting his Square-1 personal record by 45.6 percent down to 49.82 and putting up his first 5x5x5 Cube time of 3:07.50. Mark Liu entered eight disciplines, dropping his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 42.5 percent to 1.83 and logging a first official Clock solve of 22.23. Luke Satko took on a grueling schedule of 13 separate events, recording his first Clock attempt in 8.30 and completing his first official 6x6x6 Cube solve in 4:30.24. Ishaan Hary added three brand-new categories to his resume across nine events, logging debuts in Square-1 in 50.04 and 3x3x3 One-Handed in 36.92.

The standard of speed cubing depth on display extended through all 16 disciplines contested on the campus floor. Multiple rounds gave emerging solvers ample opportunity to refine their habits on the official stage, translating months of home practice into certified stage execution. With 43 podium spots going to domestic competitors alongside three for Korea and one for Mexico, the international balance enriched the championship atmosphere throughout the intense closing rounds.

As the late-summer tournament calendar continues toward autumn, the CubingUSA Western Championship 2024 served as an emphatic showcase of current Rubik's Cube mastery and multi-event endurance. The tight spreads throughout the 3x3 results demonstrated that the margins at the regional summit are narrower than ever. Competitors and organizers alike departed San Diego having established a high bar of speed and consistency for the remainder of the 2024 season.