Tilottama Sen: The 14-year-old shooter is aiming for Olympics after winning bronze at ISSF World Cup, says her father

Till 2021, Sujit Sen, an employee of Tech Mahindra in Bangalore did not her daughter will be winning medals at the international level for India. The man from Chakdah, West Bengal who had to shift to Bangalore for work purposes in 2005, suggested her daughter to check out a nearby shooting centre in Bangalore. Two years later, her daughter Tilottama Sen won a bronze medal in ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt.

Tilottama Sen in ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. Self-image

Tilottama Sen was just 0.1 points short of making it to the final of the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup, 2023. During the 2021 lockdown, Sujit wanted her daughter to be active so he took her to "Hawk-Eye", a shooting training centre in Bangalore. She instantly got interested after watching all the instruments and decided to take shooting seriously.

Inspired by Mehuli Ghosh, another fellow Bengali shooter, Tilottama started improving her skills quickly.

"She has always been a calm and composed girl. I guess that helps her in shooting," Sujit Sen told Sportz Point in an exclusive interview via telephone.

From "Hawk Eye" to SAI Karnataka, the move was quick for Tilottama as she kept on improving her game rapidly. Although she was giving a lot of time to shooting, the class XI student of Blue Bell Public school did not let sports hamper her studies.

"Till now she has been our class topper in every class. She manages everything quite well and knows what she needs to do on daily basis," Tilottama's father added.

Tilottama Sen, Seonaid Mcintosh and Nina Christen (From right to left of the image) pose with their medals. Image: ISSF

She uses yoga and meditation to enhance her focus and improve her performance at the highest level. According to her father, it has helped her in completing her school works in quicker time.

"Since she started travelling for multiple tournaments, she manages her studies whenever she comes back home. I think her ability to focus has helped her in her studies as well."

Tilottama has been able to win multiple international medals within two years of picking up a rifle. But, the main goal is to be at the Olympics and win it there.

"The main goal is obviously to be at the Olympics and do good there. That is what she is working hard for," Sujit Sen added.

International medals won by Tilattama Sen

TournamentEventMedalISSF World Cup, 2023Individual EventBronzeISSF Junior World Cup, 2022Air Rifle Team WomenGoldISSF Junior World Cup, 202210m Air Rifle WomenBronze