Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 20 minutes ago

---

(apologies for the bad quality, set the camera up too far away and had to digitally zoom)

bittersweet result, but hardly a disappointment.

multi was the first of my gold opportunities at this nats, and despite my lack of dedicated practice i still 100% believed that the gold was mine to lose. the top 5 best results by an australian in 2026 were all by me, and my confidence and performance officially was somehow climbing to a peak.

i was looking to get my nationals off to the best possible start, locking down a solid attempt in conditions i knew were favourable for me.

however, in the back corner of the room stood my main obstacle to achieving gold.

it wasn't at all lost on me that i was not even the defending champion from last year. that, of course, went to current NR2 Felix Williams. last year it was another tight tussle up top, where my 29 pointer was just 2 points and time shy of gold. Felix managed an AusNats record on that occasion, equalling their PR on points to stay just clear of my mark and claim their first of what i'm sure will be many national titles.

i knew exactly how much of a threat they could be. i'd seen it happen before. however i took some safety in their recent competition results, and in my performance against them at All Blind Adelaide, a competition in which i took part in one attempt and prevailed over Felix's two.

i knew what i was capable of. just two weeks prior i had gotten a 33 pointer on the other side of the country, the best result by an australian this year, which only added to my confidence. i told myself the AusNats record was mine to take back, at the closest major to home i've ever had.

and so the day came, i sat down and started.

everything felt uncharacteristically hard. i couldn't attain any of the flow that i'd acquired in my recent attempts, and when my final pass came i found myself glancing at more cubes than usual to confirm what i needed to. nonetheless, multi is a tale in two parts so i pushed through to my execution...

and boy was it glorious.

no memo forgotten, and only 1 cube i was sure of DNFing but still tried to save regardless. recall effortless, and i knew i was making exceptionally good time. nervy on the last few cubes (which you can tell once the vid goes back to real time) but i kept resolve and finished strong.

taking off the blindfold, i was simply elated. finally i had the result i knew i was capable of! my best official multi in nearly 3 years, a new 2026 leading performance by 4 points, and new AusNats record by 6. the gold was mine, i already knew it. while confident, i was also acutely aware that it was still an absolute freak performance by my standards.

i went over to apologise to Felix, after all they deserved the win far more than i did. walked over, gave a hug, and only then did i look over at their attempt. my inner monologue booted up;

"hang on... that looks close...
wait a minute, they did 49 didn't they? that's like... 5 DNFs?
oh. wait. never mind. i lost."

2 years in a row, 2 points and time shy of gold yet again.


lest you think this is me trying to take away from Felix's achievement. it is, in fact, quite the opposite. when their back was against the wall, when all of the momentum was in my favour, when i laid down a result greater than i ever could've possibly hoped for, they clutched up. there was no way for me to account for an 8-point PR by one of the nation's most deserving up-and-comers. on the day, the better cuber won, and beat me at my absolute best. i can't possibly be mad at that.

major shoutouts to Felix, the Aussie multi GOAT in the making. deserves so much more clout than they get currently.

by no means am i stopping here. i've been immensely enjoying my recent multi attempts, and with no big blind rounds currently announced in australia who knows where my practice will pivot to...



also yeah i wore the blindfold upside down again sue me i guess

Music (Linked Winters - Miniature): youtu.be/6RghYTEwbpM