Roshibina takes silver in women's 60kg wushu final at Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya
Naorem Roshibina Devi lost to Zhang Xiaoyu and settled for silver in the women's 60kg wushu final at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan on September 24, 2026, securing her third consecutive Asian Games medal.
The 25-year-old was a late addition to India's squad after the original pick, Divyanshi Choudhary, withdrew with an anterior cruciate ligament injury; Roshibina had lost to Divyanshi in the trials held in June in Srinagar. Roshibina had previously won a silver in the last edition and a bronze in the 2018 Asian Games. Hailing from Kwasiphai Mayai Leikai in Manipur's Bishnupur district, her father Naorem Damu Singh initially resisted her taking up wushu, later selling a piece of land to fund her early training and travel. Divyanshi later accused Roshibina of mental harassment.
Roshibina lost the final 0-2, with all five judges issuing unanimous 5-0 decisions in both two-minute rounds. Zhang Xiaoyu took the first round with the five judges' scores reading 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, 8-2. The second round produced judges' scores of 10-2, 8-3, 7-3, 7-3, 6-1 in favour of the Chinese athlete.
According to the report, Roshibina could not counter Zhang's aggression and technical superiority, particularly the Chinese player's side kicks, and remained subdued for most of the bout. The source noted Zhang's side kicks as a decisive element in the final.
After the final Roshibina said: "I have won silver earlier and this time also, I could win only silver. I could not give the gold medal to the Indian people. I could not give what everyone wanted."
She also commented on her preparations and selection: "There was a lot of disturbance when I came here for the Asian Games. I did not get much time to prepare. But, my coach (Amit Pal) supported me a lot to reach here. I will try my best in the upcoming Games, learn from my mistakes and come back," and added, "I came to know of my inclusion in the team around September 10 and straightway came here from home (from Manipur) without training much."
Her coach Amit Pal addressed her preparation: "The Chinese fighter was very good, something lacking (in Roshibina). But also, Roshibina did not get much time to prepare. She was out of the national camp for one and half months. After trials in June in Srinagar, she left for her home since she lost. After Divyanshi's ACL injury, Roshibina was named in the team on September 10. She had little training (in between) and straightaway came here," he said.
Roshibina's silver provided the only podium return for the Indian wushu contingent after other Sanda athletes failed to progress to medals: Aryan (Men's 56kg) lost in the quarterfinals, Aparna (Women's 52kg) was eliminated in the round of 16, and Vikrant Baliyan (Men's 75kg) lost his opening round. India's Taolu competitors did not reach any podium positions; Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam posted a combined score of 18.839 across women's Nanquan and Nandao to finish 9th, Nyeman Wangsu scored 9.573 in women's Changquan to place 15th, and Suraj Singh Mayanglambam finished 11th in men's Changquan.
"I will try my best in the upcoming Games, learn from my mistakes and come back," Roshibina said, reiterating her intention to continue competing after this silver.