Tilottama Sen Biography
India is a country where there is no dearth of talent, and athletes, even at a very young age, achieve remarkable feats with the combination of tremendous hard work and natural talent. Tilottama Sen is one such sports shooter who is just 16 years old and has found a place in the Indian shooting team that will travel to Paris for Olympics 2024.
Tilottama Sen is the third youngest player to represent India at the Olympics, whereas she is the youngest ever to win a quota for the marquee event. The journey of Tilottama from a young kid to a successful women’s 10-meter air rifle shooter is quite an interesting one.
Early Life
Sen’s family originally hails from Kolkata, but they now live in Bengaluru. She is currently in Class 9 at Bluebell Public School in Bengaluru and began her athletic career with volleyball and karate before focusing on shooting.
Inspired by Abhinav Bindra’s Olympic successes, her father, Sujit Sen, a TechMahindra employee, encouraged her to pursue sport shooting. Despite initial financial difficulties, her father utilized his provident fund and retirement funds to purchase equipment for her.
Fortunately, help arrived quickly through the Reliance Foundation and the TOPS program. Sen hones her talents at either the Karnataka State Rifle Association shooting range in Kengeri, Bengaluru, or the Hawkeye Rifle Shooting Academy, demonstrating her commitment to her career.
Shooting Career
Sen’s shooting career skyrocketed in a flurry of accomplishments, including amazing victories on the global stage. Her outstanding performance at the World Championship in Cairo in October 2022 earned her the gold medal in the women’s junior division, laying the groundwork for her future achievements.
Sen continued her winning streak by dominating the Asian Airgun Gold in Daegu, South Korea, in November 2022, capturing gold medals in both the individual and team events, cementing her place as a rising star of the sport.
Despite a technical issue with her rifle in March 2023, Sen demonstrated her persistence and talent by earning bronze at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, marking her remarkable senior international debut. However, she was disappointed to miss out on the Asian Games selection trials.
Her journey culminated at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championships in Changwon, when she won the silver medal in the 10 meter air rifle event, gaining India a coveted quota spot for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and confirming her status as a formidable force in the world of shooting sports.
At the age of just 16 years, Tilottama Sen has achieved a lot in her career, and she is well on the path of going big and becoming a successful women’s sports shooter for India.
Bio Data
Name: Tilottama Sen
Date of Birth: April 25, 2008
Age: 16 years
Birth Place: Bengaluru, Karnataka
World Ranking: 17