Naorem Roshibina Devi wins silver in women's sanda 60kg at Asian Games in Nagoya

Naorem Roshibina Devi completed a third successive Asian Games medal by taking silver in the women’s sanda 60kg final in Nagoya on September 24, 2026, after losing 0-2 to China’s Zhang Xiaoyu. The 25-year-old was a late addition to India’s squad and had previously earned bronze in 2018 and silver in 2023.

Less than a fortnight before the Games, Roshibina had accepted she would miss out after losing the national wushu trials and was preparing to watch the event on television. Her last-minute inclusion into the squad preceded Thursday’s final and her podium finish, which extended her run of medals at the continental event. The circumstances around the selection attracted controversy ahead of the competition.

In the gold-medal bout Roshibina was unable to break through Zhang’s defence as the Chinese fighter imposed an early offensive. The match finished 0-2 in Zhang’s favour, with Roshibina saying the Chinese side applied sustained pressure. “The coach had told me she is physically strong. We tried our best to defend. The Chinese team puts a lot of pressure. I have won silver medal before, I tried a lot for the gold but could not. We have to focus on our mentality. There are a lot of good players in India, I am sure they will do better,” she insisted.

Roshibina described the selection issue but declined to elaborate on its details after the final. “It is not my position, whatever happened was not because of me. It was the decision of the federation, whatever decision they took I think was good. I will ignore it and focus on my goal,” she said after the bout.

The trials had seen Divyanshi Choudhary defeat Roshibina before Choudhary was withdrawn from the squad with an ACL injury. Choudhary subsequently accused the federation of harassment and favouritism and posted a message threatening to end her life before she was spoken to by the Sports Ministry and the federation.

Roshibina entered the final with a taped knee and sustained a blow to the face during the contest but downplayed the damage afterwards. “It is just a minor injury. When I am in competition, I forget everything. I am in a different state of mind, I don’t know what pain is,” she said.

Reflecting on the medal’s meaning, Roshibina said it mattered beyond personal success and expressed a desire to motivate younger athletes. “This medal is very important for me. There are many players who have inspired us, I want to be like them and inspire everyone who is coming up,” she added.