European Championship 2026 Day 3 Recap: Martin Wins Megaminx, and Poland Pulls Away
Stephanie Rose Martin survived a tense final solve to win Megaminx, Teodor Zajder rebounded to take 2x2, and Krzysztof Pietrusiak closed FMC with a 19-move solution.
Day 3 of the 2026 WCA European Championship delivered five more champions, several late-round swings, and one of the most tense delays of the competition.
Stephanie Rose Martin won Megaminx after Aidan Grainger entered his final solve with a chance to take the title. Tymon Kolasiński continued his big-cube dominance in 6x6, while Teodor Zajder recovered from an uneven opening day to win 2x2.
Krzysztof Pietrusiak also produced one of the day’s most important final attempts, recording a 19-move solution to move from third provisionally to the European FMC title.
Stephanie Rose Martin Wins a Dramatic Megaminx Final
Stephanie Rose Martin won Megaminx with a 27.51 average, defeating Aidan Grainger and Prabhav Rajaram Nayak in a final that remained undecided until the final solve.
Final Podium
🥇 Stephanie Rose Martin (Ireland) - 27.51
🥈 Aidan Grainger (United Kingdom) - 28.67
🥉 Prabhav Rajaram Nayak (Ireland) - 30.70
Martin recorded solves of (25.28), (30.63), 27.54, 26.02, and 28.98, giving her the lead while Grainger waited for an extra attempt on solve five.
The delay placed additional attention on Grainger. The room remained quiet for several minutes as his cube was solved and rescrambled, while Martin paced nearby and watched the standings.
When the replacement cube finally reached the table, Grainger readied up almost immediately. He took only enough time to turn on his camera and take a deep breath before beginning inspection.
During the final solve, however, he appeared to perform the wrong last-layer algorithm after reaching PLL, undoing the corners and producing a 31.04.
Grainger immediately recognized the mistake and leaned forward in disappointment. Martin and the Irish supporters erupted as the result confirmed her victory.
Martin later credited Luke Griesser for helping with the mental side of her preparation. She also said she did not expect such a large reaction because those around the stage already knew the title had narrowed to her and Grainger.
The victory gives Martin another major result shortly after her 25.93 female world record Megaminx average. This time, the milestone was not a ranking position. It was her first European title.
Teodor Zajder Rebounds to Win 2x2
Teodor Zajder won 2x2 with a 1.01 average, delivering the result the community largely expected despite an uneven start to the championship.
Final Podium
🥇 Teodor Zajder (Poland) - 1.01
🥈 Emanuel Schelin (Sweden) - 1.23
🥉 Aitor Ibáñez Larrea (Spain) - 1.26
Zajder’s final solves were (0.88), 1.02, 1.10, (3.17), and 0.92. Four of the five attempts were 1.10 or faster, giving him a comfortable margin over Schelin.
The win followed a difficult opening day. Zajder appeared nervous during the Nations Cup Relay and recorded the DNF that eliminated favorite Poland in the semifinals. His first round of 2x2 was also less convincing, with a 1.57 average that placed him 20th.
He responded with a 1.07 in Round 2 before improving again in the final.
Zajder entered as the community favorite, receiving 72% of the first-place picks in the Euros Podium Prediction Challenge. The early rounds created some uncertainty, but the final brought him back to the level expected from Europe’s top-ranked 2x2 competitor.
Antonie Paterakis, another leading favorite, did not reach the final. He finished 39th with a 1.76 average and joined the commentary team instead.
For Zajder, the title should provide a major confidence boost before Sunday’s 3x3 rounds, where he enters as one of the leading contenders.
Small Margins Decide Skewb
Vojtěch Grohmann won Skewb with a 1.60 average, finishing ahead of Frank Lindblom and community favorite Ignacy Samselski.
Final Podium
🥇 Vojtěch Grohmann (Czech Republic) - 1.60
🥈 Frank Lindblom (Sweden) - 1.77
🥉 Ignacy Samselski (Poland) - 1.82
Grohmann’s solves were 1.32, 1.76, (3.03), 1.51, and (1.52). Lindblom followed with 1.89, 1.65, (3.64), 1.77, and (1.47).
Both of the top two had only one solve above two seconds.
Samselski had two, recording a 2.20 and a 2.73 alongside faster attempts of 1.80, 1.40, and 1.47. Those small differences were enough to separate first from third in an event where one additional slow solve can change the entire podium.
The community had selected Samselski as the favorite with 68% of the first-place predictions. Grohmann ranked third in the consensus board, but delivered the cleanest set when the title was decided.
Tymon Kolasiński Continues Big-Cube Dominance
Tymon Kolasiński won 6x6 with a 1:09.32 mean, giving Poland another title and continuing his dominant championship across the larger cubes.
Final Podium
🥇 Tymon Kolasiński (Poland) - 1:09.32
🥈 Mark Zimmermann (Germany) - 1:14.26 NR
🥉 Ciarán Beahan (Ireland) - 1:14.82
Kolasiński recorded solves of 1:09.37, 1:08.52, and 1:10.08. All three were faster than any solve produced by the rest of the field.
Mark Zimmermann continued his breakout Euros with a German record mean. After opening with a 1:18.98, he responded with 1:11.63 and 1:12.17 to secure silver and finish just ahead of Beahan.
Daniel Rush placed fourth with a 1:17.09, continuing a championship where he has consistently appeared near the top of the big-cube standings.
Kolasiński’s victory followed his earlier titles in 4x4 and 7x7. The community had selected him as the favorite in every standard cube event from 3x3 through 7x7, and he has so far converted all three completed big-cube finals into gold.
During a late-night analysis stream, Kevin Hays reviewed Kolasiński’s solving alongside Feliks Zemdegs, Đỗ Quang Hưng, and several other top big-cube competitors. Hays noted that even with Kolasiński’s current results, there are still event-specific areas of 6x6 knowledge he can continue developing.
That may be the most concerning part for the rest of the field. Kolasiński is already winning comfortably while still identifying room to improve.
A Final 19 Gives Krzysztof Pietrusiak the FMC Title
Krzysztof Pietrusiak won Fewest Moves with a 20.67 mean after producing a 19-move solution on the third and final attempt.
Final Podium
🥇 Krzysztof Pietrusiak (Poland) - 20.67
🥈 Moritz Lotz (Germany) - 21.00
🥈 Wojciech Rogoziński (Poland) - 21.00
No bronze medal was awarded because Lotz and Rogoziński tied for second.
Pietrusiak entered the final attempt in third place after solutions of 22 and 21 moves. His closing 19 lowered his mean to 20.67 and moved him past the two provisional leaders.
Lotz and Rogoziński also recorded 19s on the final attempt, giving both means of 21.00. They placed ahead of Louis-Marie Ratto, who also finished with a 21.00 mean, because their 19-move best solutions won the tiebreak over Ratto’s three matching 21s.
Radomił Baran, the community’s pre-competition favorite, closed with a 19 but finished fifth at 21.33 after earlier attempts of 23 and 22.
The result completed a major finish for Pietrusiak and gave Poland its sixth official gold medal through the first three days.
Euros 2026 Medal Table Through Day 3
The table below counts official WCA event finals only. Nations Cup Relay is excluded. The shared silver medals in FMC are both counted, with no bronze awarded in that event.
Poland has now won six of the 10 official finals completed through Day 3. Kolasiński alone accounts for three of those gold medals, while Antoni Stojek, Zajder, and Pietrusiak have added the others.
Ireland has the second-most total medals with five, led by Martin’s Megaminx title and three bronze finishes.
Germany has not yet won an event, but its four silver medals are the most of any country. Zimmermann has contributed two of them through 6x6 and 7x7.
Five Major Finals Remain
Sunday will close the championship with five official finals:
5x5
3x3 Blindfolded
Pyraminx
Square-1
3x3
Kolasiński enters 5x5 as the strongest favorite on the entire community prediction board, having received 97% of the first-place picks.
The day will then build toward 3x3, where Kolasiński, Zajder, Luke Garrett, Dylan Miller, and the rest of the championship field will compete for the overall victory and European title.
After three days, Poland already controls the medal table. The final day will determine whether that advantage becomes a complete championship takeover or whether the remaining events produce one last reshuffling.