Doug Koenig Tallies Another Win at 2026 CMP Bianchi Cup Action Pistol Tournament
June 25, 2026
HALLSVILLE, Mo. – Doug Koenig, 57, Deland, FL, marked his 21st win at the Bianchi Cup Action Pistol Tournament this year, using a Ruger SR1911 pistol to reach a Grand Aggregate score of 1920-182X.
The Bianchi Cup, held since 1979, was facilitated by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), May 21-24, at Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club in Missouri. A crowd of over 120 individuals from several different countries, including Australia, Japan, Germany and others, participated in the world-famous event, along with 50 new individuals and double the number of women and juniors from previous years.
The CMP Bianchi Cup features a variety of competitive action pistol opportunities for adults and juniors, with the National Champion determined from scores of all Bianchi Cup events (Practical, Barricade, Mover and Falling Plates).
During his 2026 performance, Koenig nearly topped each of the Open Class competitions – overtaking Practical, Mover and Falling Plate. In Barricade, SFC Walter Johnson, 32, of Pine Mountain, GA, earned the overall Open win after defeating seven other individuals in an exciting shoot off.
Before this year’s win, Koenig had claimed the Bianchi Cup Champion title as recently as 2024 before falling to Bruce Piatt, 65, of Damascus, PA, in 2025. The two men have a famous friendly rivalry – with one or the other earning the Bianchi Cup nearly every year since 1992.
Falling just short of the win, Piatt reached a score of 1920-173X for second. Brett Foster, 49, of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, trailed the other two men for third, earning another impressive score of 1916-165X.
Congratulations also goes to Julie Golob, 48, of Kearney, MO, who became the first woman to break the 1op 10 in Production Optics and set a new women’s high score in the Rimfire Division.
The CMP would like to thank all supporting partners of the event, including Title Sponsor SDS Arms, Sarsilmaz, Ammo Alley, Walther Arms, Accuracy X and more.
Other Winners of the 2026 CMP Bianchi Cup:
International Championship Awards:
Overall Open: Doug Koenig, 57, Deland, FL – 1920-182X
Metallic National Champion: Roman Hauber, 59, Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany – 1890-133X
Production National Champion: SSG Walker Buckman, 30, Floyd, VA – 1870-117X
Production Optic National Champion: SSG Anthony Heinauer, 29, Fort Benning, GA – 1914-159X
Roger E. Hawkins Memorial Junior National Champion: Malcolm Itzstein, 19, Frisco, TX – 1898-155X
Woman National Champion: SFC Sally Talbott, 49, Blythewood, SC – 1912-153X
John Cameron Memorial Senior Champion: Bruce Piatt, 65, Damascus, PA – 1920-173X
Grand Senior Champion: Vance Schmid, 75, Marion, IL – 1914-153X
Rimfire Division:
Open: SFC Walter Johnson, 32, Pine Mountain, GA – 1920-184X
Production Optic: Edward Duda, 53, Lafargeville, NY – 1814-93X
Junior: Jackson Schmidt, 17, Wentzville, MO – 1908-143X
2nd Gun Division:
Open: SSG Anthony Heinauer, 29, Fort Benning, GA – 1914-154X
Metallic: SSG Walker Buckman, 30, Floyd, VA – 1898-120X
Production Optic: Tony Holmes, 65, Lafayette, IN – 1896-133X
2-Person Team:
Metallic: AXI/Germany (SFC Michael Gasser, Roman Hauber) – 1890-142X
International Team: Japan (Takumi Suzuki, Yukishige Mimbu) – 1907-154X
4-Person Team: Make AP Great Again (Mark Itzstein, Bruce Piatt, Doug Koenig, Tony Holmes) – 1910-179X
Special Categories:
Law Enforcement Champion: Bruce Piatt, 65, Damascus, PA – 1920-173X
Active Service Champion: SFC Walter Johnson, 32, Pine Mountain, GA – 1915-180X
Military Veteran Champion: Peter Bergersen, 64, Tara, Queensland, Australia – 1914-163X
International Champion: Brett Foster, 49, of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia – 1916-165X
Revolver Champion: Glenister Ayre, 66, Crestmead, Queensland, Australia – 1894-149X
Like last year, a special “Win Jim’s Money” match was also held, with SSG Anthony Heinauer leading the Barricade, Mover, Falling Plate and Aggregate titles. Benito Martinez, 47, of Albuquerque, NM, topped Heinauer in the Practical event for his own overall win.
View a complete list of results on the CMP’s Competition Tracker page at https://ct.thecmp.org/BianchiCup26Results.
See photos of the event, available for free download, at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f46695736.
MORE PISTOL EVENTS: In just a few weeks, the CMP will be holding the 2026 National Pistol Matches – set for July 11-18 at the historic Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio! All experience levels welcome to attend. Learn more, register and see a full schedule of events at https://thecmp.org/cmp-matches/national-trophy-pistol-games-matches/.
About the CMP Bianchi Cup:
The CMP Bianchi Cup is comprised of four events: the Practical Event, Moving Target (Mover) Event, Barricade Event, and the Falling Plates Event. Competitors shoot from both standing and prone positions and are also required to shoot with strong and weak hands at various stages. There are no makeup shots in the CMP Bianchi Cup, adding to its difficulty. Competitors fire in Open, Metallic, Production and Production Optic classes within each event as well as Rimfire categories.
Learn more about the CMP Bianchi Cup at https://thecmp.org/competitions/cmp-pistol-program/cmp-bianchi-cup/.