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From despair to defiance, shooter Tilottama targets Asiad glory
After missing the 2023 Asian Games and 2024 Paris Olympics, the rifle shooter is keen to shine in Japan
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New Delhi: At 18, Tilottama Sen has already experienced the microcosm of an athlete’s life. Having missed the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games after finishing third in the selection trials, she bounced back with silver at the Asian Championships that year, securing a 10m air rifle quota for the Paris Olympics. She missed out on Paris too, despite having won the quota (it belongs to the country).
Three years is a long time in elite sport, and Tilottama has used it to turn things around. She calls herself the “pampered baby of the team”, but has navigated the highs and lows that typify an athlete’s arc with a maturity that belies her age.
About to represent India in her first Asian Games (Sept 19-Oct 4) in the 50m-3 Positions event, the teenager is a bundle of nervous excitement.
“This will be my first multi-discipline event and I am really looking forward to it. The experience of meeting so many high-quality athletes, competing in a truly world class field, and the chance to win a medal for your nation is all a little overwhelming. I am determined to give my best,” she told HT.
“It’s a bit of a full circle moment for me. I was heartbroken after missing out on the last Asian Games. I was only 15 then, so you can imagine my state. But missing the Paris berth despite winning the quota was a bigger disappointment.”
What followed after the intense selection trials in the lead-up to Paris was a break from shooting and a chance familiarisation with the 50m 3P event. She locked away her rifle and withdrew from the sport. Family’s pep talk, phone calls with fellow shooters Rudrankksh Patil and Divya TS, and sessions with the psychologist did help, and gradually the angst gave way to determination.
“Shooting is an extremely individual sport and hence it takes a lot out of you. I realised I didn’t have the energy to shrug off the disappointment and bounce back quickly. But eventually, you get up,” she recalled.
By the time 2025 arrived, Tilottama regained her bearings and returned to the shooting range. That’s when national rifle coach Manoj Kumar suggested she try the 50m event.
“I almost hated the 10m event, so I was all up for the new challenge,” she laughs. Widely considered a tougher rifle event, the 50m discipline uses a .22 calibre small-bore rifle, firing bullets rather than the pellets used in the air rifle. The competition is outdoors, making wind and weather additional variables for the shooters to deal with.
“I’d say it is a technically superior event. It tests you physically but gives you a chance to come back. If you are good at 50m, chances are you’ll get better at 10m also,” she said.
At the start of 2025, Tilottama travelled to a Walther unit in Germany for equipment testing (10m air rifle) and met Heinz Reinkemeier, who coached Abhinav Bindra to the 10m air rifle gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“I had a month-long clinic with him and we basically broke down my game in 10m event. It was like starting all over again. We worked on the basics and I gradually found my way back,” she said. Back home, 50m took precedence over air rifle. Tilottama won the 2025 senior Nationals title in 50m while cruising through the junior and youth categories in 10m, finishing the championships with 11 medals across events and age groups.
This year, she won a 10m air rifle trial (T1) and went on to win three on the trot in the 50m to underline her dominance. Three years after watching the Hangzhou Asian Games from the sidelines, she has finally earned her chance.
“It’s time to convert this form into an Asiad medal. I have never shot in Japan, but once I enter the range, it’s just me and the target,” she said. “I have seen how a good Asian Games can change the course of your career. We saw it with Sift (Kaur Samra) and Esha (Singh) the last time.
“I hope it’s my turn now.”
