‘Consistency, courage and determination’: PM Modi congratulates Manipur's Roshibina Devi on historic Asian Games medal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 24 congratulated Manipur wushu athlete Naorem Roshibina Devi after she won silver in the women’s Sanda 60kg event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Roshibina lost 0-2 to China’s Zhang Xiaoyu in the gold-medal bout, with Zhang winning both rounds 5-0. The silver marked Roshibina’s third successive Asian Games medal and made her the first Indian wushu athlete to win medals at three consecutive editions of the continental event.

“Congratulations to Naorem Roshibina Devi on winning the Silver Medal in the Women’s Sanda 60kg event. This is a noteworthy achievement…winning medals in 3 consecutive Asian Games,” Modi said in a post on X.

He praised Roshibina’s consistency, courage and determination and wished her success in her future endeavours.

Roshibina’s latest medal comes despite her battling flu before travelling to Japan for the competition. Her mother, Naorem Ongbi Romila Devi, said the athlete was unwell but went ahead with her campaign.

“Although I am not satisfied as a mother for not winning a gold medal, expressing our unhappiness would make her feel more upset. She was suffering from flu when she left. Even then, she participated in the competition,” Romila said after the final.

Roshibina’s father, Naorem Damu Singh, said the family was proud of her performance despite her falling short of her target of winning gold.

Roshibina had won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games and followed it with a silver at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. Her latest silver has now extended that run to three consecutive Asian Games.

She also recorded notable wins during her campaign in Aichi-Nagoya, including a victory over Vietnam’s 2023 world champion Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy. She then defeated Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 2-0 in the semi-final to secure her place in the title bout.

Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh also congratulated Roshibina, calling her achievement a source of pride for the state and the country. He described her as an inspiration for young athletes in Manipur.

The medal was India’s sixth silver at the ongoing Asian Games, taking the country’s overall tally to 14 — one gold, six silver and seven bronze.