- Thursday, February 27, 2025
The 22-year-old Roshibina said her coaches advised her not to talk to her families daily as discussions over Manipur’s disturbance could hurt her focus on her performance.
By: Shubham Ghosh
IT is a practice for athletes who win crowns at major international events to receive a grand welcome on returning home but for Naorem Roshibina Devi, a 22-year-old Wushu player from India’s strife-hit northeastern state of Manipur, it is not the case.
Roshibina Devi has bagged a silver at the ongoing Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou in China but she has no idea about returning home anytime soon.
According to a Sportstar article, the young sportsperson kept on punching her gloves against each other while dedicating her hard-won medal to the people of Manipur, which has witnessed a renewed violence of late. She struggled to convey what she intended as she was overwhelmed by emotions and fought her tears. Coach Kuldeep Hundoo was seen standing by and comforting her.
Our dedicated and talented Roshibina Devi Naorem has won a Silver Medal in Wushu, Women’s Sanda 60 kg. She has showcased extraordinary talent and relentless pursuit of excellence. Her discipline and determination are also admirable. Congratulations to her. pic.twitter.com/CYiT8Mjyq2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 28, 2023
She said while she herself could not go to the disturbed state and help, she wanted to dedicate her medal to those who had been fighting for them and protecting them.
“Yes… now…I don’t know what will happen to us… Abhi pura dar ke baitha hua hai (Everyone is sitting afraid there). I wish…things go back to normal and be better than what it was before and we live peacefully. Seeing all the things burning down, it doesn’t feel so good,” said Roshibina as she wiped her tears, the Sportstar report added.
The athlete from India’s north-east faced hard times in the run-up to the Asian Games that is held to determine the continent’s best athletes. While Manipur witnessed violence since the beginning of May which prevented Roshibina Devi to go home for months, she was also affected by the fact that three wushu athletes from another north-eastern state Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims to be its own, were denied visas by Beijing for the Games. Roshibina Devi said they were ‘family’ to her.
Roshibina won the silver medal in the 60-kilogram Sanda category after losing to her Chinese opponent Wu Xiaowei 0-2 in the final. Yet, it was a better result for the Indian who won bronze in the 2018 edition held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The athlete, who hails from Bishnpur in Manipur, said her family was located away from the disturbance. Her father met her once at the Sports Authority of India hostel in Imphal, the state capital, and her coaches advised her not to be on calls with her family members daily while she underwent training so that she didn’t lose focus, the Sportstar report added. Her mobile phones were also taken away, it was told.
She told the news outlet that her family didn’t allow her to come home and she lives in a hostel in Manipur for they think it is for her good that she stays in a hostel rather than at home.
However, disturbance or not, Roshibina Devi is determined to do well next time and win gold, thanking her country for extending support.
