Asian Games: Roshibina Devi is one match away from a wushu gold medal

Naorem Roshibina Devi, red, competes against Indonesia’s Kusumaningtyas Thani in the women’s 60kg wushu semifinal match during the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. (PTI photo) NEW DELHI: Naorem Roshibina Devi is one win away from rewriting Indian wushu history. Already the country’s most successful Asian Games wushu athlete — the Manipuri moved from bronze at Jakarta 2018 to silver at Hangzhou 2023. Now, with another silver medal secured in Aichi-Nagoya, she has a chance to change colors and become the country’s first Asian Games wushu gold medalist.The 25-year-old advanced to the women’s 60kg sando final on Wednesday, defeating Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 2-0 at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall. Roshibina will face China’s Zhang Xiaoyu in the final on Thursday, history is within reach.Her journey to the finals was emphatic. She opened her campaign by defeating Bangladesh’s Shika Khatun in the pre-quarterfinals before going on to win 5-0 over Macau’s Chu Man Sin in the quarterfinals. The semi-final against Thania produced another controlled performance to lead Roshibina to her third medal of the Games.What makes the run more remarkable is that Roshibina wasn’t even the original choice for the continental race. She lost to teammate Divyanshi Choudhary in the Srinagar selection trials in June. Divyanshi was initially selected but later ruled out after an MRI revealed a high-grade ACL tear. The Wushu Association of India (WAI) then brought Roshibina back into the team.Divyanshi Alleged Mental Harassment and Preferential Treatment by Federation for Conscription in Roshibin. Amid the raging issue, Divyanshi threatened to commit suicide before withdrawing. However, WAI denied the allegations and insisted that the replacement was based on medical grounds.In Aichi-Nagoya, Roshibina let her performances do the talking. Since returning to the lineup, she marched into the final with calmness and determination. Now he has a chance to make a historic leap by climbing to the top step.