Roshibina Devi Wins Asian Games Silver
Called up to India’s Asian Games squad at the 11th hour, Roshibina Devi delivered a silver-medal performance in the women’s 60kg Sanda event on Thursday, September 24.
Roshibina lost 0-2 to China’s Zhang Xiaoyu in the gold-medal bout, with the Chinese fighter winning both rounds 5-0. Zhang controlled the contest from the beginning and did not allow the Indian wushu star to settle into her rhythm.
Despite missing out on gold, Roshibina’s silver adds another chapter to her consistent record at the Asian Games. She has now won medals at three successive editions of the continental competition.
Three Successive Asian Games Medals
Roshibina made her Asian Games debut in Jakarta in 2018, when she was just 17 years old. She defeated Pakistan’s Mubashra Akhtar in the quarter-finals before losing to China’s Cai Yingying in the semi-finals. The result earned her a bronze medal.
Five years later, at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, Roshibina reached the women’s 60kg Sanda final. She eventually finished with silver after losing to China’s Wu Xiaowei.
Her latest silver in Aichi-Nagoya means she has now won medals at three consecutive editions of the Asian Games. According to the source, she is the first Indian wushu athlete to achieve the feat.
Who Is Roshibina Devi?
Born on December 30, 2000, in Kwasiphai Mayai Leikai in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, Roshibina is one of India’s prominent wushu athletes.
She competes in Sanda, the combat discipline of wushu that combines striking, kicking and throwing techniques. She developed an interest in the sport as a child after watching a district-level competition in Manipur.
Roshibina had also tried boxing before choosing wushu. She began serious training under local coaches and later joined the Sports Authority of India centre in Imphal, where she trained under coach Maibam Premkumar Singh.
Her first major international breakthrough came at the 2016 Junior World Wushu Championships in Burgas, Bulgaria, where she won bronze in the 48kg category. In 2017, she moved up to 60kg and won gold at the Asian Junior Wushu Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
She also won gold at the 2019 South Asian Games in Kathmandu. In 2023, she added a World Wushu Championships silver and Moscow Wushu Stars Championship gold to her record and was subsequently awarded the Arjuna Award.
Late Call-Up After Selection Controversy
Roshibina’s place in India’s 2026 Asian Games squad was initially uncertain. She lost the selection trial to teammate Divyanshi Choudhary and was initially left out of the team.
Her return came after Divyanshi was withdrawn from the squad following medical examinations. The Wushu Association of India said Divyanshi had suffered a partial high-grade ACL tear with significant effusion and named Roshibina as her replacement.
The change led to controversy, with Divyanshi alleging harassment and bullying at the Wushu camp and making claims involving Roshibina. The Wushu Association rejected the allegations and maintained that the replacement was based on medical grounds.
Roshibina’s Asian Games 2026 Campaign
Once in Aichi-Nagoya, Roshibina focused on competition. She defeated Bangladesh’s Shika Khatun in the pre-quarterfinals before beating Macao’s Chu Man Sin 5-0 in the quarter-finals.
She then defeated Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 2-0 in the semi-final to book her place in the final.
Zhang Xiaoyu proved too strong in the gold-medal bout, winning both rounds 5-0.
Roshibina’s latest silver gives her a medal sequence of bronze in 2018, silver in 2023 and silver in 2026. The Asian Games gold remains the major medal missing from her record, but her three successive podium finishes underline her sustained presence at the continental level.
