Winterpeg 2024

When the final rounds wrapped up at Riverview Community Centre, the ultimate lesson of the day was absolute composure across full five-solve averages over isolated flash moments. Jonathan Petry captured the premier 3x3x3 Cube title with a clinical 8.79 winning average, turning away a strong field of 72 competitors through three demanding rounds. Petry posted the best single of the event at 7.38, but it was his ability to string together stable, fluid solves that secured the victory. The single-day WCA competition on February 17, 2024, brought 74 competitors together in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, for a packed schedule spanning six events and 11 rounds of elite speedcubing.

The 3x3 results demonstrated how vital round-to-round stability remains at a premier cubing competition. Walker Welch pushed Petry through the final phase, claiming second place with a 9.57 average, while Emma Kemp earned third on the podium with a 10.68 mark. While several competitors flirted with rapid individual times during the early heats, Petry maintained the pacing needed to avoid costly mistakes. Over three rounds of Rubik's Cube action, managing the pressure of fluctuating turn speeds proved to be the decisive factor separating the podium finishers from the rest of the pack.

Across the multi-layered schedule of Winterpeg 2024, Walker Welch emerged as a dominant force through sheer consistency across varied puzzle disciplines. Welch took the top spot in the 2x2x2 Cube with a winning average of 2.52 after navigating two rounds against 69 competitors. Mickey Cao secured second place with a 3.29 average, while Petry took third with a 3.34 result. Welch also set the tone in the preliminary stage of the event, recording a 2.34 single and a 3.00 average, underscoring how repeated accuracy on smaller puzzles leaves no margin for error.

Welch extended that steady execution directly into the big cube categories, collecting two more titles through disciplined pacing. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Welch bested 41 competitors across a direct final round, posting a winning average of 37.12 and a leading single of 34.24. Petry followed in second with an average of 38.46, and Cao took third with 46.29. Moving to the 5x5x5 Cube, Welch again controlled the board against 25 entrants, securing victory with a 1:05.10 average and a best single of 1:03.82. Petry captured the runner-up spot at 1:20.00, while Dylan Govic rounded out the top three with 1:25.87.

The side events delivered equally compelling battles decided by steady hands. In Skewb, Mia Willow Pahl produced an exceptional performance to win among 45 competitors with a 5.94 average and a best single of 3.85. Welch finished just behind in second place at 6.25, while Shain Papalotl Longbehn claimed third at 6.28. Longbehn found redemption in Square-1, delivering a commanding 11.46 winning average and a field-best 8.57 single across two rounds. Welch added another silver podium to his tally with a 16.46 average, ahead of Deven Huard-Bernuy, who secured third place with 21.27.

Beyond the top podiums, the heart of the event lived in the massive leaps made by developing competitors across the floor. Trevin Hiebert produced some of the weekend's most striking improvements, chopping his Skewb mark down to 11.73 for a 61.9% drop and cutting his 3x3x3 Cube best to 16.43 for a 54.7% improvement, alongside a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube that stopped the clock at 2:05.86. Louis Perreault lowered his 3x3x3 Cube time by 44.3% down to 21.43 and took on his first ever attempt at Skewb with a 13.70. Markus Russell knocked 42.6% off his 3x3x3 Cube standard to reach 24.63 while logging a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube at 8.10. Meanwhile, Carter Sentes dropped his 2x2x2 Cube time by 34.9% to 7.75 and logged a first ever attempt at Skewb with 12.25.

That same momentum carried across a variety of puzzle categories as competitors tackled new challenges head-on. Rowan Salyn made a memorable first ever attempt at Skewb, posting a 6.59 single on the way to a 9th-place finish, while also lowering their 3x3x3 Cube mark by 33.4% to 20.61. Silas Grela improved their 3x3x3 Cube time by 32.8% to 18.70 while registering a first ever attempt at 2x2x2 Cube of 9.02. Kayden Veselyuk entered five events, recording a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 1:25.63 and a first ever attempt at 5x5x5 Cube of 2:54.36, while earning a personal high 5th place in the 3x3x3 Cube. First-time competitor Liam Pensack tackled five events in their debut, earning a 5th-place finish in Square-1 alongside a first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube of 1:21.93.

The international rivalry remained completely balanced across the tournament, with the United States and Canada splitting the 18 total podium spots evenly at nine apiece. The single-day gathering demonstrated how technical mastery and composure under the timer define speed cubing success when margins come down to tenths of a second. As the tables were cleared at the Riverview Community Centre, Winterpeg 2024 closed out an exceptional display of talent across both classic and modern puzzle formats.