The fine run by India’s wushu player Roshibina Devi continued in the Hangzhou, Asian Games, assuring India of a silver medal in her discipline. She produced a dominant effort against Vietnam’s Thi Thu Thuy Nguyen in the women’s 60 kg event and closed the bout 2-0 on Wednesday evening.

Roshibina became the only second Indian to reach the wushu finals in the Asiad following the outcome. Wangkhem Sandhyarani Devi had reached the finals Guangzhou Games back in 2010.

Roshibina had produced an equally commanding display in the quarterfinals, where she defeated Kazakhstan’s Aiman Karshyga.

She had won the bronze medal at the last Asian Games in the same category. Notably, she was a gold medallist in the same category at the 2019 South Asian Games.

“I want to win for my three friends who could not make it here,” Roshibina had told this newspaper ahead of her semifinal bout. “I am used to having Onilu around. We often train together and are good friends. In big events like these, it is important to have someone you are comfortable with,” the 2019 South Asian Games champion said.

Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu are the three athletes from Arunachal Pradesh who were denied visa by Chinese authorities to travel for the Hangzhou Games. Onilu is Roshibina’s sparring partner.

Meanwhile, another Indian wushu athlete Rohit Jadhav had to be content with an eighth position finish in the men’s Daoshu final.

The 23-year-old scored a total of 9.413, whereas Chinese Zhizhao Chang (9.826) and Chinese Taipei Chen Ming Wang (9.736) finished in the first and second spot, respectively.

In Daoshu, an athlete uses a sword as the main element of the routine and is judged on the basis of quality of movement, overall performance and degree of difficulty.

Jadhav will now participate in the Gunshu Final with the hope of winning a medal at the event. In Gunshu, participants use a staff made of white wax wood.