History making win

Mount Gambier develops two State champions

History was made at the 2022 South Australian Long Range Target Rifle Shooting Queen’s Shoot in Lower Light with two Mount Gambier shooters returning home as State champions.

Flavien Konieczny (pictured bottom) returned with the most prestigious award any long range shooter can achieve with as the winner of the South Australian Queen’s Shoot – the first from the Mount Gambier club to see his name engraved on the prestigious trophy that is more than 150 years old since 1910 when Harold Knight won what was then the King’s Shoot – which it will be going forward again.

There were more than 1000 competitors in the day when Knight enjoyed his success. The only other Queen’s Shoot success for Mount Gambier was Merv Friend – a multiple Queen’s Shoot winner – but his three victories came when he was a member at the Yambuk club in the 1960s.

Konieczny competed over distances from 300metres back to 900metres with peep sights and was successful in overcoming adverse conditions and delays to come out in front of his opponents on the last range.

The Mount Gambier club has had many shooter make the journey to these events to come home with Queen’s badges but never the number one badge.

The stunning result was reward for effort for Konieczny given the significant investment in time, money and practising for these events.

Konieczny’s success means he is now always known as a Queens winner throughout Australia no matter what State or Territory he competes in, such is the respect held by all shooters throughout the long range shooting fraternity for the prestigious honour.

Konieczny’s success was not the only impressive result from the SA event, with rising teenage star Duncan Muller (pictured left) achieving the same honour in the B Grade competition.

Achieving this championship at 17 years of age will set Muller, who is now 18, up for upcoming competition. In winning the B Grade title, Muller finished only four points behind Konieczny in the A Grade and several points in front of other A grade shooters.

Muller has advanced his shooting career at such a rapid rate it has put all shooters around the country on notice that a great potential is emerging and the desire to succeed and being a winner at a Queens shoot has lit a flame that will not be extinguished until the goals he has set, have been achieved and surpassed into his future shooting career.

See Duncan Muller’s story below & Flavien Konieczny will share his shooting journey in next week’s issue.