Tilottama Sen resets her targets after teen ‘angst’, makes Asian Games team

PUNE: The pain of winning a quota place and not being able to represent the country can hurt. It took Tilottama Sen months to get out of disappointment.Today, more than two years after the heartbreak — and a year after she returned to shooting — Tilottama has made it to the Asian Games team.The shooter had become the youngest to win an Olympic quota when she booked a berth in women’s 10m air rifle ahead of the Paris Olympics over two years ago. However, the teenager couldn’t represent India as she lost her place to Ramita in the trials. The setback was difficult to process for the shooter, only 15 then.She was angry, not at herself, nor the federation, but chose to take it out at her event — 10m air rifle.“I was very angry at it; I started hating the event (10m). I quit shooting for some months and didn’t feel like getting back to the range,” Tilottama, now 17, told TOI.With the support of her parents, the youngster was then introduced to a new friend — 50m rifle 3-position event. “I met Manoj sir (coach Manoj Kumar) who asked me to try 3 positions. I was sure I didn’t want to start shooting again if it was 10m, so I gave 3P a try,” she said.While she said she had moved on, it wasn’t easy for her. “I was frustrated and disillusioned when it happened. It was not easy to get out of it. My parents supported me; my psychologist helped me. She asked me to read and paint to get over the disappointment. I focused on my studies. It took time, but I managed to walk out of it. I am at peace with it now,” the Bengaluru-based shooter said.She agreed to a new discipline, but it wasn’t easy. “I started training for one position at a time. I first trained for kneeling, then switched to prone and shifted to standing position last. It was tedious, but I had to take it slow and learn the basics first before I started training for competitions,” she said.After she started training for 3P, Tilottama ‘forgave’ her first event. “I am not angry at it anymore. I now train for both the events,” she said.“I am happy that I have qualified to participate in my first multisport event. I will try to focus on the present and the future now,” she said.