Roshibina Devi Silver: Roshibina Devi Wins Silver at Asian Games, Secures Third Straight Medal

Roshibina Devi Silver: Roshibina Devi has added another medal to her Asian Games record, winning silver in the women’s 60kg sanda event at the Aichi Nagoya Games in Japan. The Indian wushu fighter lost the final to China’s Zhang Xiaoyu on Thursday.

The final did not go Roshibina’s way. Zhang controlled both rounds and won them 5 0, securing the gold medal. Roshibina had to settle for silver, but the result still gave her a medal at three consecutive editions of the Asian Games.

Her run in Aichi Nagoya was particularly notable because she entered the Indian team only after a late change in the squad. Roshibina had lost the selection trial to Divyanshi Choudhary, who was initially chosen for the 60kg category. Divyanshi was later ruled out with an ACL injury, opening the door for Roshibina’s return to the team.

Once she got the opportunity, Roshibina made the most of it. She moved through the early rounds and reached the final after beating Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas in the semifinal. Earlier in the competition, she had also defeated Bangladesh’s Shika Khatun and Macau’s Chu Man Sin.

The latest medal adds to an impressive Asian Games record. Roshibina won bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Games and followed that with silver at Hangzhou in 2023. Her silver in Aichi Nagoya now gives her medals from three successive editions.

For Roshibina, the latest campaign also carried the weight of a difficult selection process. Her return to the squad came close to the Games after Divyanshi’s injury, leaving little room for preparation once the change was confirmed. She nevertheless reached the title bout and secured another podium finish for India.

The gold remained out of reach after Zhang’s strong showing in the final. The Chinese fighter kept control throughout the contest and did not allow Roshibina to turn the bout around.

Roshibina’s silver also keeps her among India’s most consistent wushu performers at the Asian Games. With medals from Jakarta, Hangzhou and Aichi Nagoya, she has now built a record across three different editions of the continental event.