After heartbreak, Tilottama finds fresh high in rifle 3P

The teenager has regained competitive hunger in the new event and eyes an Asian Games berth

- Avishek Roy

Tilottama Sen was dejected when she failed to retain her Paris Olympics quota in the 10m air rifle and was left out of the Indian team. It wasn’t that she performed poorly in the Olympics selection trials, but the competition for quota spots in India was so intense that decimal points decided the outcome.

The 17-year-old shooting talent was coming off a brilliant 2023, having won silver at the Asian Championships, showing consistency and big match temperament.

For two months after missing out on the Olympics berth though, Tilottama put her rifle aside. She then took up a new event — 50m rifle three positions ~ for the first time. Even last year, her scores were not high enough to earn her a place in the Indian team.

At the National Championships this year, however, Tilottama was in roaring form, winning her first senior national title in 3P. It is an event she has been training in for just a year. Competing against a strong field of reputed and experienced shooters, she topped qualification with an impressive score of 591. In the final, she remained consistent, built a solid lead, and clinched the title with a score of 466.9.