Tilottama Sen: Gunning for the prize

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a sporting vocation successful shooting for Bengaluru miss Tilottama Sen who took up the athletics to interruption the monotony of online classes and being cooped up indoors.

A volleyball and throwball player, Tilottama was besides a karateka, and the inability to prosecute successful these activities dampened her spirits, truthful her father, Sujit Sen, suggested she instrumentality up shooting.

He took her to a adjacent range, wherever her caller hobby soon evolved into a passion. As she progressed, Tilottama enrolled astatine the Elite Shooting Academy wherever she was trained by nonrecreational coaches. Soon, she was participating successful State and nationalist events.

By 2023, she was representing India successful planetary events specified arsenic the World Cup, Asian Championship and World Youth Championship.

Between 2023 and 2025 she garnered laurels and a full of 39 medals, which included 22 gold, 8 metallic and 9 bronzes. “Shooting is much of a intelligence game,” says Tilottama.

“It requires concentration, absorption and dedication isolated from regular practice. I practise 7 hours a day, contempt reaching the planetary level.”

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s metallic astatine the 2004 Olympics and Abhinav Bindra’s golden successful the 2008 Olympics were 2 wins which made shooting hugely fashionable successful India.

Though Tilottama’s occurrence successful idiosyncratic and squad events came successful the 10-metre aerial firearm event, successful 2025, she had switched to shooting the 50-metres and won golden astatine the caller nationalist championships. Her triumph evoked praise from each quarters, particularly from her idol, Abhinav Bindra. “He was a root of inspiration for me; helium gave maine a batch of tips.”

Right now, Tilottama is attending the National enactment trials for the 10m aerial firearm lawsuit successful Delhi wherever she has secured the apical spot. She is adjacent scheduled to enactment successful the Asian Games which volition beryllium held successful Japan successful September. “I anticipation to triumph a fewer medals astatine the Games and my adjacent people is the Olympics. It volition beryllium a immense accomplishment if I get into the medal bracket astatine the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”