IMETRO Open 2026

Roger Nataniel Issassa dos Santos delivered the defining moment in Luanda, Angola, by setting a national record single of 7.72 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube on his way to victory. The single-day WCA competition, held on July 4, 2026, brought together 18 competitors at Morro Bento, na Avenida 21 de Janeiro (Travessa da Talatona S/N), em Luanda. Across four distinct events and six intense rounds of speed cubing, the gathering highlighted the remarkable depth and rapid development taking place across the Angolan speedcubing landscape.

While large-format cubes push the boundaries of endurance, solving complex puzzles blindfolded demands an entirely different tier of mental stamina and total spatial recall. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, where competitors must commit every piece to memory before executing their solves without sight, Adriano Bussa took the championship with a winning single mark of 5:02.78. Jair Cipriano dos Santos Simão secured second place by producing an Angolan national record single of 8:43.76, while Vivaldo Cristóvão Roque rounded out the podium with a single time of 21:39.00.

The traditional Rubik's Cube category served as the competitive centerpiece of IMETRO Open 2026, featuring 18 contenders over two hard-fought rounds. Issassa dos Santos proved unmatched in the final stage, securing first place with an average of 10.11 seconds to complement his record single. Ariclenes Ebenézer Dias Manuel earned second place with an average of 12.54 seconds, narrowly staying ahead of third-place finisher Daniel Ginina Vunge, who registered an average of 12.59 seconds in the final 3x3 results.

Short-format speedcubing also brought tight competition to the venue during the 2x2x2 Cube rounds. Across two rounds of play featuring 14 entrants, Carlos Junior de Carvalho Correia captured first place with an impressive winning average of 4.63 seconds and a best single solve of 3.57 seconds. Issassa dos Santos returned to the podium to claim second place with an average of 5.72 seconds, while Ariclenes Ebenézer Dias Manuel added another top-three finish to his day by claiming third place with an average of 6.14 seconds.

The Pyraminx event added further variety to the schedule at IMETRO Open 2026, featuring 11 solvers in a fast single round. Daniel Ginina Vunge led the field from start to finish, taking top honors with a decisive winning average of 5.76 seconds and a best single effort of 4.79 seconds. Belarmino Eusébio Chalale posted an average of 6.94 seconds to secure the second step of the podium, followed by Hilton Adolfo Cardoso Batalha in third place with a final average of 10.16 seconds.

Beyond the podium finishes, several competitors produced extraordinary personal breakthroughs that highlighted the event. Mikaela Alika Cipriano da Silva delivered a stunning personal best of 5.17 seconds in the 2x2x2 Cube, an improvement of 42.3 percent over her previous mark of 8.96 seconds, while also trimming her 3x3x3 Cube best to 27.85 seconds. Reynold Filipe Moniz Buila matched that exact same 42.3 percent progression in the Pyraminx, dropping their personal record to 5.97 seconds and finishing fifth overall, in addition to slashing their 3x3x3 Cube best to 20.79 seconds and their 2x2x2 Cube best to 9.45 seconds. Aldemiro Soares lowered their 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 36.5 percent down to 6.19 seconds and advanced their 3x3x3 Cube mark to 17.66 seconds.

The progress continued throughout the roster across multiple categories. Akila Margarida Moniz Buila tackled her first ever attempt at Pyraminx, setting a mark of 14.98 seconds, while also improving her 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 18 percent down to 1:19.02. Jemima Pedro achieved a seventh-place finish in the 2x2x2 Cube while cutting her 3x3x3 Cube personal record down by 26.3 percent to 17.15 seconds. Mikael Akili Cipriano da Silva logged personal bests of 5.20 seconds in the 2x2x2 Cube and 13.63 seconds in the 3x3x3 Cube, Rui Verona Issassa dos Santos took eighth place in the 2x2x2 Cube, and Kahilo Pedro Massango took seventh in the 3x3x3 Cube. Emílio Baptista Ngongo also improved his 3x3x3 Cube benchmark by 8.1 percent to 45.23 seconds.

Every single one of the 12 available podium positions across the four disciplines was captured by competitors representing Angola, marking a clean sweep on home soil. With national records rewritten and substantial personal improvements logged throughout the roster, IMETRO Open 2026 demonstrated the growing technical skill and dedication present within Luanda. As the local community looks forward to future seasons, the achievements of 2026 establish a strong foundation for the next wave of competitive cubing milestones across the region.