Zvornik Summer 2024

The sports hall at Osnovna Škola Sveti Sava filled with the steady rhythm of turning layers and resetting timers across the weekend of August 3 to August 4. Staged in Zvornik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the gathering brought together thirty-eight competitors for an intensive programme spanning fourteen disciplines and twenty-two rounds. For several in attendance, stepping into the venue marked their very first taste of an official cubing competition, bringing a distinct energy to the tables alongside seasoned tournament regulars.

Making an official debut in a World Cube Association environment brings an unmistakable mix of focus and learning. That introductory step stood at the heart of Zvornik Summer 2024, where three competitors completed their initial official attempts. Milan Jović completed his first official 3x3x3 Cube solve with a time of 38.59 seconds. Aleks Girazov took on four separate formats in his debut, recording marks of 28.89 seconds on the 3x3x3 Cube, 14.75 seconds in Skewb, and 11.88 seconds in Pyraminx. Konstantin Poperechnyi also navigated his inaugural event slate, lodging a 52.62 in the 2x2x2 Cube, a 1:56.76 in the 3x3x3 Cube, and a 31.24 in Pyraminx.

Beyond the newcomers, several returning competitors demonstrated remarkable leaps in their individual progression across the schedule. Nikola Kojić tackled all fourteen events offered over the weekend, delivering a 45.4 percent drop in Megaminx with a personal best of 1:49.58, a Clock mark of 11.35 that was 11.9 percent faster than his previous standard, and a seventh-place finish in Skewb. Nenad Biščić logged his first official attempt at 3x3x3 Fewest Moves with 50 moves, improved his 3x3x3 One-Handed mark by 36.9 percent to 14.05 seconds, and finished sixth in Pyraminx. Jovan Repić carved 40.2 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube standard down to 5.89 seconds and dropped his Pyraminx time by 30.3 percent to 11.51 seconds. Grigorii Poperechnyi took on eleven events, clocking a 2:21.13 in his first Megaminx attempt and trimming his Clock best by 21.8 percent to 18.26 seconds.

That personal progress continued throughout the field as solvers pushed into new disciplines and posted steep improvements. Liam Zidar entered nine events, logging his first Square-1 attempt at 27.11 seconds to earn a twelfth-place finish while cutting his Megaminx mark by 20.7 percent to 2:08.25. Nemanja Tomić reduced his Megaminx standard by 35.5 percent with a 1:46.48 while taking twelfth place in the event. Matej Jović lowered his 3x3x3 Cube best by 27.2 percent down to 17.32 seconds and added a 6.58 in his first official 2x2x2 Cube try. Vuk Nikolajev recorded an 8.22 in his first Pyraminx appearance and posted a 5.32 best in the 2x2x2 Cube.

At the sharp end of the main 3x3 results, Zénó Vitale of Hungary captured the classic Rubik's Cube crown. Vitale averaged 8.03 seconds across the final round, highlighted by a sharp single of 7.59 seconds. Leo Lindqvist of Sweden secured the runner-up position on the podium with an 8.80 average, while Serbia's Matej Marčok took third place averaging 9.25 seconds. The three-round battle served as the centerpiece of speed cubing action for the thirty-eight solvers who took part in the event.

A major national milestone unfolded during the 2x2x2 Cube rounds. Jakov Ljubicic produced an outstanding showing for Serbia, setting a national record average of 2.21 seconds along with a single of 1.62 seconds. The overall event victory went to Leo Lindqvist, who registered a winning average of 1.84 seconds and a top single of 1.47 seconds. The fast-turning discipline featured thirty-seven entrants across three competitive rounds.

Gjorgji Cheshmedjievski delivered a standout multi-event campaign across the competition. The North Macedonian competitor claimed top honors in three distinct categories, winning the 4x4x4 Cube with a 33.23 average, capturing Skewb in 4.27 seconds, and sealing the 5x5x5 Cube title with a mark of 1:02.16. Serbia's Aleksandar D. Siljanoski pushed him closely across the larger cubes, taking second place in both the 4x4x4 Cube with 36.35 seconds and the 5x5x5 Cube with 1:08.63.

The big-cube events saw local standout Andrej Mikulić secure a double victory for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mikulić took first place in the 6x6x6 Cube with a winning average of 1:59.60, ahead of Lindqvist in 2:19.87 and Italy's Simone Cantarelli in 2:37.07. Mikulić returned to top the 7x7x7 Cube standings with a mark of 2:50.08, outpacing Siljanoski's 3:12.94 and Lindqvist's 3:53.16. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded discipline, which demands complete memorisation before executing turns without sight, Filip Aleksić delivered the winning single of 1:48.00.

The specialty events rounded out the broad selection of speedcubing formats in Zvornik. Bogdan Čumić earned the Megaminx title with a 39.77 average, finishing ahead of Lindqvist and Nemanja Vujnović. Slovenia's Filip Barbirič Frank topped the Clock standings on a 6.61 average, edging Axel Flordal and Ljubicic. Lindqvist added two more titles to his ledger by taking Square-1 in 14.50 seconds and the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves contest with a single of 28 moves. Matej Marčok added victories in Pyraminx with a 3.67 average and 3x3x3 One-Handed with 12.07 seconds.

Across fourteen events and two full days, Zvornik Summer 2024 proved how vibrant a mid-sized WCA competition can be. Solvers from Serbia and Sweden each claimed thirteen podium positions, North Macedonia and the host country collected six each, Italy earned two, and Slovenia took one. With memorable debuts recorded alongside record marks in 2024, the weekend demonstrated the continuing growth of the regional scene.