Incident: A runner picked up a popped piece during a competitor's attempt
A5b++
YorkCubeDay2021
During a 3x3 round, a piece popped out of a competitor's cube and a first-time runner picked it up and handed it to the competitor, which is not what Guideline A5b++ calls for. An extra attempt was provided by the WCA Delegates because this was the runner's fault and not the competitor's since the competitor did not ask the runner to pick it up and the runner did this by themselves.
The WRC found a DNF to be too harsh for this particular case. As a result, the extra attempt should be used for the following reasons:
- The extra follows the correct procedure.
- It was not competitor's fault.
- The competitor did not attempt to gain an unfair advantage.
In case the original time was available, that original result should have been used. The reasoning for using the original time is to find a compromise between a DNF (which too harsh for something the competitor did not ask for) and an extra (which too kind because the solve with a pop was presumably bad).