Naorem Roshibina Devi has secured her third successive Asian Games medal after defeating Macao, China’s Chu Man Sin 5-0 in the women’s 60kg Sanda quarterfinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on September 22.
The 25-year-old Manipuri athlete, who won bronze at Jakarta 2018 and silver at Hangzhou 2023, is now India’s last remaining Wushu medallist at these Games and will face Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas in the semifinal on September 23.
Her return to the squad came after an unexpected selection controversy involving 18-year-old Divyanshi Choudhary, who had beaten Roshibina in the June selection trials and was initially named in India’s seven-member squad.
The Wushu Association of India (WAI) later replaced Divyanshi, citing a partial high-grade ACL tear with large effusion and medical advice against competition. Divyanshi questioned the decision and alleged harassment, including by Roshibina, but those allegations have not been independently established. She later said she understood the federation’s position and would prioritise her recovery.
A Career Built On Medals
Born on December 30, 2000, in Kwasiphai Mayai Leikai in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, Roshibina has emerged as one of India’s most consistent Wushu Sanda athletes. She began competing in Wushu in 2012 and won gold at the 2017 Asian Junior Wushu Championships.
Her senior Asian Games breakthrough came at Jakarta in 2018, where she defeated Pakistan’s Mubashra Akhtar in the women’s 60kg quarterfinal before losing to China’s Cai Yingying in the semifinal to take bronze. Five years later, she improved that result at Hangzhou, defeating Kazakhstan’s Aiman Karshyga and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy before losing 2-0 to China’s Wu Xiaowei in the final and settling for silver.
Her international record also includes gold at the 2019 South Asian Games and the 2023 Moscow Wushu Stars Championship. The Government of India’s official Arjuna Award citation records her 2023 Asian Games silver, World Wushu Championship silver and Moscow gold among the achievements behind the honour.
The International Wushu Federation also recognised Roshibina as its 2023 Wushu Sanda Female Athlete of the Year, underlining her standing in the discipline. Her latest Asian Games run has added another chapter to that record. She first defeated Bangladesh’s Shika Khatun in the pre-quarterfinals before producing a 5-0 quarterfinal win against Chu Man Sin.
The victory guarantees her at least a bronze medal and makes her the first Indian Wushu athlete to win medals at three consecutive editions of the Asian Games. Roshibina’s semifinal against Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas is scheduled for September 23.
The Selection Row Explained
Roshibina’s presence in Aichi-Nagoya was far from certain. During the selection trials held in Srinagar in June, Divyanshi Choudhary defeated Roshibina in the semifinal and went on to win the women’s 60kg Sanda trial, earning the original berth.
Divyanshi was subsequently included in the Indian squad announced by the Sports Ministry on August 22. However, she was replaced by Roshibina shortly before the Games after the federation raised concerns over her knee injury.
The WAI said Divyanshi had sustained the injury during the SCO Wushu Sanda Championship in Hubei, China, in June and developed further pain after returning to the national camp at NIS Patiala in August.
According to the federation, an MRI conducted on August 23 showed a partial high-grade ACL tear with large effusion. SAI medical personnel and an orthopaedic doctor subsequently advised rehabilitation and refraining from competitive activity and full training until recovery.
The decision prompted Divyanshi to post an emotional video on social media in which she questioned why she had been removed after winning the trials and alleged that she had faced mental and physical harassment. She also alleged that Roshibina had harassed her and her family.
WAI president Jitender Singh Bajwa rejected the suggestion that Roshibina had been accommodated unfairly, saying the replacement was based on the medical assessment. Bajwa said the Sports Authority of India had been involved in the medical process, while the federation maintained that Divyanshi’s health had to take priority.
The controversy later took another turn when Divyanshi said she understood the federation’s decision after officials explained the medical concerns to her. In a subsequent video, she said, “the first thing is the health of the player”, and said she would focus on recovering before returning to competition.
She also indicated that she was looking towards the 2030 Asian Games. However, she repeated her allegations concerning Roshibina. No independent finding establishing those allegations has emerged in the public record.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Roshibina Devi’s achievement is significant not only because it adds another medal to India’s Asian Games tally, but because it highlights the human stories behind elite sport. At the same time, the selection dispute involving Divyanshi Choudhary shows why athletes deserve transparent selection processes, clear medical communication and space to raise concerns without hostility. Competitive sport inevitably involves disappointment, injuries and difficult decisions, but fairness and empathy should remain central to how those decisions are communicated and handled.
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