Manipur's Roshibina Devi wins silver despite flu; mother says, 'Even then, she participated'

Manipur’s Roshibina Devi clinched her second consecutive silver medal in wushu at the Asian Games in Japan on September 24, despite suffering from flu before travelling for the competition.

Roshibina was defeated 0-2 by China’s Zhang Xiaoyu in the gold-medal bout. Zhang won both rounds 5-0 to claim the title.

Speaking after her daughter’s medal win, Roshibina’s mother, Naorem Ongbi Romila Devi, said the athlete had been suffering from flu when she travelled to Japan.

“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.

Her father, Naorem Damu Singh, said the family was proud of Roshibina despite her missing out on the gold medal she had hoped to win.

“I am pleased that India has won a medal. In 2023, she won a silver at the Shanghai Games and a bronze in 2018. However, she had expressed her hope of winning gold this time. While we are happy that she won a silver, it is disappointing that she did not achieve her goal. I am proud of her for bringing fame and joy to the country,” he said.

Roshibina’s latest medal adds to the bronze she won at the 2018 Asian Games and the silver she secured at the 2022 Hangzhou edition. She has now become the first Indian woman to win medals in wushu at three consecutive Asian Games.

She had a strong run in Aichi-Nagoya, including a win over Vietnam’s 2023 world champion Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy. She defeated Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 2-0 in the semi-final on Wednesday to reach the title clash.

The silver is India’s sixth at the ongoing Asian Games. The country’s medal tally stands at 14, comprising one gold, six silver and seven bronze.