Wide Bay Cubing 2024

Inside Christian Youth Camp Pialba, the steady pattern of clicking plastic and timer pads punctuated the air throughout a busy two-day tournament. Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia welcomed sixty-four competitors across April 6 and April 7 for a packed nine-event slate. When the final round of the traditional Rubik's Cube arrived on Sunday afternoon, the tournament hall focused entirely on the remaining tables as the weekend reached its most dramatic climax.

The 3x3 results came down to the absolute wire, decided in the fifth and final solve of the closing round. Toby Seufert maintained his composure to seal the premier title with a winning average of 7.56 seconds and a best single solve of 5.90 seconds. Charlie Eggins pushed the pace throughout the round, finishing right behind in second place with an average of 7.92 seconds. Hayden Ng took third place on the podium with an 8.10 average in an intense three-round contest featuring sixty-one competitors.

The 2024 gathering marked an energetic chapter for speedcubing in the region, offering twenty total rounds of action. Wide Bay Cubing 2024 saw Toby Seufert secure a second championship victory in 3x3x3 One-Handed. Seufert posted a decisive 12.91 winning average and a single of 9.50 across two rounds, once again staying ahead of Hayden Ng, who secured second with 13.36, while Charlie Eggins claimed third with a mark of 14.13.

Hayden Ng delivered an outstanding showing in the larger cubes, claiming gold across both big puzzle disciplines. In the 4x4x4 Cube final, Ng posted a 33.74 average with a 28.56 single to top Charlie Eggins at 36.77 and Jamie Otsu at 38.33. Ng followed up in the 5x5x5 Cube, recording a winning average of 56.51 seconds and a 50.17 single. Jamie Otsu followed in second at 1:10.82, while Toby Seufert rounded out the top three at 1:13.72.

Beyond the podium battles, the cubing competition saw remarkable personal milestones from athletes throughout the field. Jerome Nellickal cut his Skewb personal best down to 12.68 seconds, an improvement of 50 percent, while also lowering his 2x2x2 mark by 40.6 percent to 3.89. Daniel Yuchen Zhang entered eight events and dropped his Pyraminx personal best by 40.2 percent to 8.83, alongside first career attempts in Skewb at 16.68 and Clock at 21.30. Claire Egan tackled five events, slicing 39.7 percent off her 2x2x2 record with a 5.34 result and posting first attempts in One-Handed at 1:07.91 and Skewb at 10.25. Danielle Kay entered seven events, making first-ever attempts in Skewb at 14.21 and Clock at 17.69 while improving her 2x2x2 best by 37.2 percent to 7.25.

The progress continued with Joshua McCorkell tackling nine events, improving his 3x3x3 personal best by 36.2 percent to 15.64 and his 4x4x4 mark by 36.1 percent to 57.95. Alexander Tronoff took on eight events, lowering his Skewb best by 35.8 percent to 11.33 and his 5x5x5 time by 23.9 percent to 2:39.20 while logging a Clock debut of 14.86. Jeremy Luo dropped his 2x2x2 personal best by 39.1 percent to 3.47 and his 3x3x3 mark to 13.31. Making his first WCA competition appearance, Eli Carr took on nine separate events, logging initial official marks including 5.39 in Skewb, 10.31 in Pyraminx, and 21.99 in One-Handed.

Short-format events brought blazing speed to the tables across both days of speed cubing. Benjamin Warry captured two titles over the weekend, winning the 2x2x2 Cube with a 2.20 average over Kyle Jones at 2.87 and Joseph Burnett at 3.16. Warry then clinched the Pyraminx title with a 3.45 average, finishing ahead of Liam Pipia at 3.79 and Kyle Jones at 4.54. Connor Theodore triumphed in Skewb, logging a 4.22 average to top Benjamin Warry at 4.97 and Conan Mo at 5.72.

Precision puzzles highlighted the remainder of the schedule at Wide Bay Cubing 2024. Elijah La Porte took the Clock title with an average of 4.56 seconds, posting a best single of 3.91 to lead twenty-nine competitors. Charlie Eggins demonstrated elite memorisation and execution in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, taking first place with an average of 16.40 seconds and a single of 13.59, clear of Conan Mo at 46.31 and David McLean at 1:41.35. The event concluded with Australian competitors earning all twenty-seven podium placements across the tournament.