NEW DELHI: In a remarkable display of talent, Roshibina Devi secured her place in the 60kg final of the Wushu competition on Wednesday, knocking out Vietnam's Thi Thu Nguyen. Her victory guarantees India at least a silver medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Roshibina left no room for her opponent to mount a challenge, winning the bout convincingly with a 2-0 score. Her next challenge awaits in the form of China's Wu Xiaowei, as she gears up for the gold medal match scheduled for Thursday.
This achievement by Roshibina is truly historic, as she becomes only the second Indian athlete to reach a Wushu event final, following in the footsteps of Sandhyarani Devi, who achieved the same feat during the 2010 Games in Guangzhou.
Notably, Roshibina had previously clinched a bronze medal in the same weight category at the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018.
In a heartwarming gesture, Roshibina dedicated her final entry to the three wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh who were unable to make the journey to China due to visa complications.
"I want to win (the gold) for my three friends who could not make it here. I am used to having Onilu Tega around. We often train together and are good friends. In big events like these, it is important to have someone you are comfortable with," she said.
She was referring to the absence of Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu. In the men's section, Rohit Jadhav finished eighth in the Daoshu Final with a score of 9.413.
But Jadhav will set his eyes on a better effort in the Gunshu Final.
(With PTI inputs)
