Zigzag Zambia Cubing 2026

Eleven competitors stepped up to the tables in Lusaka, Zambia on January 3, 2026, setting the stage for an action-packed day of Rubik's Cube racing. Held at Sikale Deco, the gathering brought together a tight-knit field for a focused single-day battle. While seasoned competitors targeted event sweeps, the defining texture of the meet was the influx of brand new participants testing their skills on the official stage for the very first time across five diverse events.

The 2026 program at Zigzag Zambia Cubing 2026 packed five events into five decisive single rounds, leaving no margin for error. With direct finals across the board, competitors faced immediate pressure to deliver their best times from their very first solves. The lineup challenged participants across standard speedcubing puzzles like the traditional 3x3x3 Cube, quick-fire 2x2x2 Cube matchups, the larger 4x4x4 Cube, the geometric Pyraminx, and the memory-intensive 3x3x3 Blindfolded challenge.

Faith Smith from Zimbabwe delivered a commanding performance in the main event, topping the 3x3 results with an average of 12.91 seconds. Smith also produced the fastest single solve of the event at 11.00 seconds to secure the gold medal against eleven competitors. South Africa's Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim pushed hard throughout the final, claiming second place with a 13.61 average and a 12.80 single, while Yuchen Liang from China earned third on the podium with an average of 24.16 seconds.

Smith continued to dominate the podium in the other cube categories, taking gold in the 2x2x2 Cube with a winning average of 4.77 seconds and a best single of 4.38. Sayed Karim took silver with a 6.73 average, followed by Janu van Jaarsveldt of South Africa in third at 7.08. In the 4x4x4 Cube, Smith again led the four-competitor pack to finish first with an average of 42.42 seconds and a 34.22 single, while Sayed Karim posted a 1:05.53 average for second and van Jaarsveldt secured third in 1:48.85.

Away from the top of the podium, the heart of the competition lay with the group of competitors making dramatic progress and taking on fresh events. Mwikisa Sikwibele of Zambia entered four events in just their second career tournament, placing fourth in the 4x4x4 Cube, posting a first ever attempt of 29.42 in Pyraminx, and slashing personal records with a 12.58 single in 2x2x2 Cube that was 45.6 percent faster than their previous mark, alongside a 33.60 3x3x3 single that improved by 35.6 percent. Amy Smith of Zimbabwe took on three events, finishing seventh in Pyraminx with a first official attempt of 45.51.

Debutants made an immediate mark across multiple formats at this WCA competition. Aryan Thakur of India entered three disciplines in their first appearance, taking fifth in the 2x2x2 Cube with an opening single of 11.59, recording an 18.06 in Pyraminx, and finishing 3x3x3 with a 1:00.35 single. Yiyang Wang of China tackled three events in their debut, placing fourth in Pyraminx with a 19.48 attempt, logging an 8.48 single on the 2x2x2, and posting 39.36 on the 3x3x3. Jacob Jeremiah Sauder of the USA debuted with a 1:03.12 solve to take tenth in 3x3x3, while Zimbabwean newcomers Josie Smith and Ange Smith rounded out the main field with debut single solves of 1:12.67 and 2:05.70 respectively.

The specialty categories belonged entirely to Yusuf Talha Sayed Karim, who topped the Pyraminx field with a winning average of 6.82 seconds and a 5.34 single, holding off Faith Smith's 9.29 average and Janu van Jaarsveldt's 16.91 average. In the blindfolded event, where solvers must memorize piece positions before donning a blindfold to execute the solve entirely from memory, Sayed Karim claimed the title with a swift 45.28 single, besting Smith's 2:47.93 finish.

By the close of the competition, the medal distribution reflected strong international representation across the region, with South African competitors accumulating eight podium spots, Zimbabwean cubers earning five, and China capturing one. For the local scene in Lusaka, the success of this speed cubing gathering highlighted how quickly first-time participants can integrate into the broader community. The single-day showcase at Zigzag Zambia Cubing 2026 provided a solid platform for both seasoned champions and a fresh wave of solvers aiming for higher marks in future tournaments.