For Bengaluru’s Tilottama Sen, winning a silver medal at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 was a moment she will remember for a long time. The 18-year-old, along with Vidarsa Vinod and Ashi Chouksey, won silver in the women’s 50m rifle 3-positions team event, marking her first medal at a continental competition. Yet, there was little time to celebrate. The team discovered they had won silver just before Tilottama had to compete in the individual final. “We were excited, but we didn’t really get the time to celebrate because I had my final immediately after that. It was great to win a medal in my debut Asian Games. I was really happy about it,” she says.For a young athlete competing on such a big stage, expectations can often feel overwhelming. Tilottama, however, says she has learnt to approach competitions without letting pressure take over. “I have my own expectations, and my parents do too, but I have never taken them as pressure. My only goal at the Asian Games was to execute what I had learnt from my previous two international competitions and correct the mistakes I had made,” she says.‘I have learnt not to hold on to mistakes’While the team silver was a moment of celebration, finishing fourth in the individual final gave Tilottama plenty to reflect on. “After my match, I sat down and spoke to my coach about what had happened. There were things I still had to work on. My coach told me to accept what had happened, but not hold on to it for too long. I realised that holding on to things would not let me move forward,” she says.She is now focused on addressing those mistakes before her next competition.‘People are noticing shooting more now’Shooting has steadily gained attention in India, particularly after the country’s performances at recent international competitions. Tilottama feels the sport is reaching a wider audience, with more people recognising the achievements of Indian shooters. “I would say a lot of people were not aware of the sport until the last Olympic Games, when Manu Bhaker won two medals. Since then, shooting has been getting noticed,” she says.She also believes that India’s growing sporting ecosystem could open up opportunities for more young athletes. “We have schemes coming up to help grassroots-level athletes. I am sure that in the coming years, many more athletes and talents will emerge,” she says.‘Gen Z athletes have more hunger to do something bigger and better’At 18, Tilottama is part of a generation of athletes making their mark on the international stage at a young age. “More Gen Z athletes are coming up because we have the opportunities and facilities from the very beginning. Another reason is that they have that hunger to do something big or do something better. That is why we are seeing a lot of young athletes across sports,” she says.
