Wushu / Roshibina Devi Bags Silver in Women’s Wushu at Asian Games

Nagoya, Sep 24: She is no stranger to the Asian Games podium, but this time the spotlight shone brighter than ever. Roshibina Devi, the daughter of farmers from Manipur’s Bishnupur district, carried India’s hopes into the Wushu women’s 60kg final at Aichi-Nagoya.

Roshibina ended her campaign with a silver medal — her third Asian Games medal, following a bronze in 2018 and silver in 2023 — after losing to China’s Xiaoyu Zhang in the final on Thursday.

Overall, India has now won 11 medals in Wushu at the Games — one gold, two silver and eight bronze — while the nation’s total tally stands at 14 medals (one gold, six silver, seven bronze).

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Roshibina’s path to the final was impressive. She defeated Macao’s Chu Man Sin 5‑0 in the quarterfinals, assuring herself of a medal, and then overcame Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 2‑0 in the semifinal. In the gold‑medal bout, however, she succumbed 0‑2 to Zhang.

Hailing from a farming family in Kwasiphai, Bishnupur district, Manipur, Roshibina trains in the Women’s Sanda 60kg category at SAI NCOE Imphal under coach Maibam Premkumar Singh.

She is among India’s most decorated wushu athletes, having won bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Games and silver at Hangzhou 2023, becoming only the second Indian to claim a Wushu silver at the Asian Games.

Her achievements have earned her the Arjuna Award and the International Wushu Federation’s Female Wushu Athlete of the Year (Sanda) title. Notably, Roshibina had lost to Divyanshi Choudhary in the trials and missed the cut for India’s seven‑member squad approved in August.

She was later included after Divyanshi was ruled out due to injury. Divyanshi, however, alleged foul play, insisting she was fit and accusing the federation of favouring Roshibina, who had initially finished fourth in the trials.

(IANS)