Tilottama Sen will be the youngest Indian shooter at the age of 18 in the 30-member contingent at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan later this month.
Updated: September 7, 2026, 1:51 PM IST
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Indian shooter Tilottama Sen(Source: Instagram)
Asian Games 2026: Tilottama Sen created history for India back in 2023 when as a 15-year-old shooter she became the youngest-ever to secure an Olympics Quota place for IndiaIn 2023, she won the silver medal in women’s 50m rifle event at the Asian Shooting Championships at Changwon in South Korea to secure a quota berth for Paris Olympics 2024But she subsequently finished in 5th place in the final selection trials in Bhopal in 2024 and failed to book a ticket to the Olympics.
Missing out on the Paris Olympics was a massive disappointment for the Indian teenage shooter, who took nearly a year to recover from the blowTilottama now has the opportunity to make debut for India in her first major event – the Asian Games 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya in Japan this month – as she has been picked to represent India in the women’s 50m rifle 3 Positions event alongside Ashi Chouksey and Vidarsa KVinod.
The Bengaluru-based shooter will still be the youngest shooter in the 30-member Indian shooting contingent feature two-time Olympics medallist Manu Bhaker“I would say it was a blessing in disguise for me because I got the time to work on both my 10m and 50m (rifle events), really work on my basicsAnd then after a year, I was back as a national champion,” Tilottama Sen told India.com in an exclusive interview ahead of the Asian Games 2026.
PREPARATION BEFORE THE ASIAN GAMES
Young shooting sensation Tilottama Sen opens up about her preparation, focus and mindset as she gears up to represent India at the Asian Games.
Every session, every shot, every moment, all building towards the biggest challenge… pic.twitter.com/H7EJ8PQ1rd
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 1, 2026
Tilottama, who hit the limelight after winning the gold medal in the 10m air rifle event in the junior team category at the 2022 Shooting World Championships, has now shifted focus to the 50m air rifle after initial aversion to it while moving from 10m event.
“It’s true that it was very disappointing, and I did feel I was ready for the games (Paris Olympics), but it didn’t happenAnd it took me quite some time to overcome that,” the 18-year-old Indian shooter revealed.
Nice to have experienced shooter like Manu Bhaker in group: Tilottama Sen
When it comes to women’s 10m air rifle event, Tilottama will take some time to break through for IndiaAt the Asian Games 2026, the trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod will be representing India in the women’s 10m air rifle.
Two-time Paris Olympics medallist Manu Bhaker will be part of women’s 10m air pistol event along with Esha Singh and Suruchi SinghBut Tilottama just feels lucky to be part of the large and decorated group.
“It’s really nice to have people experienced as a teamWhen it comes to interacting with them, being in the different event, there isn’t as muchBut it’s really inspiring to have such people in the team,” Tilottama said.
The youngster gives credit to national rifle coach Manoj Kumar for bringing her out of depression after missing out on Paris Olympics and inspiring her to take up 50m 3P event.
“So after the Paris disappointment, I really didn’t feel like shooting for quite some timeAnd I didn’t really want to shoot 10mSo, first, my parents came and told me that look you can’t think about what happened in the past.
“So, they said, why don’t you try again? And that’s when I met Manoj sir, who’s my coach right nowAnd he told me, if you don’t really want to shoot 10m, why don’t you start with 50m? Because it’s a different event and just see how that goesAnd I really didn’t want to shoot 50m, but then I said, ‘okay, I’ll give it a try’And then I started with one position at a timeIt took some time for me to get used to 50m, but later it was funAnd then I really did feel like, okay, now I should go back to the range and start shooting both the events,” she revealed.
Shooting as an alternative to watching cartoons!
Tilottama revealed that she took up the sport of shooting as an alternative to watching cartoons during COVID-19 lockdown!
“I started shooting just for funI started it during the COVID-19 lockdown because I was spending a lot of time watching cartoonsMy dad was the one who actually told me, ‘Why don’t you start shooting? I said, Sure’.
“My parents have been very supportive throughout, I would sayThe support, which I believe every athlete needsSo they’ve been very supportive, and whatever I’ve done and I do believe that they have a very huge role,” she said.
Finally, asked about her expectations for herself on her Asian Games debut, Tilottama said, “For the Asian games, this being my first games again, my only goal is to be in the best shape when I reach Japan and being consistent and just enjoying the games and giving my best.”
