Westview Cubing Favorites 2024

A mere forty-six hundredths of a second decided the 7x7x7 Cube title in San Diego, California, USA, marking the closest finish of the entire tournament. Jihu Mun secured the gold with a winning average of 3:03.12, edging out Hana Nakano who finished in second place at 3:03.58. Henry Helmuth followed in third place with an average of 3:17.31. Over the course of the single-day gathering on May 25, 2024, that razor-thin margin set the tone for an intensely competitive day of speedcubing inside the Westview Gym, where 136 competitors tackled 13 events across 17 rounds.

The drama at Westview Cubing Favorites 2024 carried straight into the classic 3x3x3 Cube final, where the top three contenders finished within four tenths of a second of each other. Kyeongmin Choi captured the victory with a 7.61 average and a best single of 6.61 across two rounds of play. Mulun Yin pushed close behind to take the silver medal with a 7.93 average, while Ethan Yeh locked up the bronze medal spot at 7.97. The 3x3 results capped a massive 111-competitor field in the flagship Rubik's Cube discipline.

Kyeongmin Choi proved to be the most decorated solver of the meet, racking up four individual event victories across the schedule. In the 2x2x2 Cube, Choi posted an unmatched winning average of 1.40, outpacing Dominic Shoji at 2.46 and Alan Kuo at 2.77. Choi also conquered Megaminx with an average of 30.39 and took the top spot in Square-1 by averaging 10.04. The four-win showcase demonstrated supreme versatility across both standard mechanical puzzles and complex twisty challenges.

Big cube specialists and side event experts also produced standout performances throughout the day. Mulun Yin claimed two gold trophies, winning the 4x4x4 Cube with a 28.72 average and the 5x5x5 Cube with a 55.38 average ahead of Eric Yang at 1:05.70 and Hana Nakano at 1:11.47. Nakano gained top podium honors in the 6x6x6 Cube with a winning mark of 2:02.16, turning the tables on 7x7x7 winner Mun who finished runner-up at 2:05.49 ahead of Vinícius Shaw in third at 2:16.53.

In the short-format and specialty events, the speed cubing action remained relentless. Jack Flynn Stewart captured the Skewb title with a 2.95 average, standing clear of August Barnard at 4.57 and Timothy Zhuang at 5.02. Ryan Fong earned first place in Clock with an average of 5.29, holding off Vinícius Shaw at 5.46 and Alex Moscibroda at 5.75. Daxton Westlake won Pyraminx with a 3.59 average, Henry Helmuth took 3x3x3 One-Handed in 9.74, and Nipun Das solved without sight to win 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a best single of 44.46.

Beyond the championship trophies, this WCA competition saw huge individual breakthroughs from competitors who made remarkable statistical leaps. Eric William McGaugh slashed his 3x3x3 personal best by 53.1 percent down to 21.86, dropped his Pyraminx mark by 43.8 percent to 7.92, and completed his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 1:37.34. Alexander Segal lowered his Clock mark by 55.9 percent to 9.01, placed 12th in 2x2x2 Cube, and tackled 4x4x4 Cube for the first time with a 1:49.82. Micah Isaiah McBride improved his Pyraminx best by 53 percent to 5.02, cut his 2x2x2 time by 51.6 percent to 2.79, and registered a first attempt in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 27.60. Jason Collier trimmed his Clock mark by 49.5 percent to 23.62 and logged his first 4x4x4 Cube attempt in 1:40.61.

First-time event attempts highlighted the depth of the roster as competitors expanded their repertoires across multiple disciplines. Hudson Chen made his tournament debut in Pyraminx with a 10.36, tried Skewb for the first time to post a 9.24 on his way to an 8th-place finish, and improved his 2x2x2 personal best by 49.8 percent to 4.92. Leland Tran took on four events, securing 10th in Skewb with an 8.68 debut while also recording his first attempts in Pyraminx at 8.82 and Megaminx at 2:17.12. Hudson James Goley tackled Clock for the first time in 13.24, made his 6x6x6 Cube debut in 3:50.55, placed 9th in Pyraminx, and improved his 4x4x4 best by 31.7 percent to 47.97. Joseph Wu completed four disciplines, posting his first official attempts in Skewb at 16.48, 2x2x2 Cube at 7.00, and Pyraminx at 11.49.

With 28 podium finishes for the USA, four for Korea, three for China, two for Brazil, and one each for Switzerland and Taiwan, the international representation matched the high caliber of play. Across every bracket, Westview Cubing Favorites 2024 provided a stage where elite precision, dramatic fractional-second battles, and major personal milestones shared the floor from the first round to the final solve in San Diego.

As the equipment was packed away in the gym, the day stood out as an exemplary cubing competition that tested dexterity, memory, and composure. From Choi's quadruple-gold haul to the dramatic 7x7x7 Cube finish, the tournament highlighted the full spectrum of modern cubing excellence across southern California.