Japan tops RRAS 2025 with most podium finishes; PH claims strong second

With hands ready to conquer the Rizal Raise A Silence 2025 cubing competition, Japan racked up six podium crowns, while the Philippines bagged four podium finishes to earn a valiant second-place performance in Manila, Nov. 23.

In the 5x5x5 Blindfolded Finals, Japanese cuber Yuki Yamamoto, who struggled to finish through rounds 1 and round 3, and was hailed as the match’s fastest cuber with a time of 6.20.54 minutes, while behind him were his fellow Japanese cuber Haruka Kitamura and Filipino cube player Luis Gabriel Magadia, who produced 9.43.19 and 12.39.00 minutes, respectively.

The Philippines struck gold in the 4x4x4 Finals, with Yuji Yoshida taking first place with an average of 35.88 seconds and posted a 34.26-second best record.

Trailing behind was Peru’s cuber Andres Taipe, who lagged behind Yoshida by only 0.72 seconds to grab the second place, while Japan’s Takumi Kato trailed by 1.53 seconds to seal the podium finish.

Yamamoto captured his second gold of the day in the 4x4x4 Blindfolded Finals, clocking a commanding 2:52.16, several minutes ahead of his competitors.

In a reversal of their earlier placements, Magadia claimed silver with a 4:56.05 finish, while Kitamura settled for third, 19 seconds behind.

From an initial pool of 15 participants, only three advanced to the podium in the succeeding event. 

Filipino cubers Gavriel Johann Arcilla and John Axel Gorodo delivered a one-two finish, posting 17.02 and 18.44, respectively. Japan’s Yuki Tsuneyoshi rounded out the top three with 24.67.

On the other end, the 3x3x3 Fewest Moves competition was more of a tight match-up, with only Japan’s Takumi Tamura snagging the gold medal with an average of 23.33 moves and a competition best 21 moves.

Not far behind was Yoshida, whose average move was only 0.34 behind the first-seeded Tamura, with an average of 23.67 moves.

Both Yoshida and Japan’s Yuki Tsuneyoshi had a competition best 22 fewest moves, but his 26.33 average moves widened when compared to the Filipino cuber.