Three Asian Games podiums in a row. That is the extraordinary thread Naorem Roshibina Devi has stitched across continental competitions — and on Thursday, 24 September 2026, Union Ports and Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal made sure the nation paused to notice, congratulating the Manipur-born wushu fighter on clinching silver in the Women's Sanda 60kg event at the 2026 Asian Games.

A hat-trick that defines a career

Sonowal's post framed the achievement in the sharpest possible terms: 'A phenomenal hat-trick of medals on the Asian stage.' Three consecutive Asian Games medals in wushu is not routine — it demands an athlete to peak, rebuild, and peak again across a full decade of elite competition. Roshibina's silver in the Sanda 60kg category adds another continental podium finish to a résumé that already announced her as India's most consistent wushu performer at this level.

Wushu's Sanda discipline — a full-contact combat format combining strikes and throws — rewards technical precision as much as raw aggression. Medals at this level, especially across multiple cycles, mark an athlete's mastery of both.

Manipur's martial arts pipeline

Manipur has long been India's most reliable nursery for wushu talent at the Asian Games, producing athletes who routinely compete for medals where other states rarely feature. Roshibina's consistency is the sharpest expression of that tradition. The state's athletes have built a reputation across combat sports that extends well beyond wushu, but it is in this discipline that the Northeastern state's contribution to India's continental medal tally is most visible.

The Khelo India scheme, launched in 2017 to build grassroots sporting infrastructure and support athletes in disciplines including wushu, has been cited as a framework underpinning the development of such performers — though the journey to three Asian Games medals spans a career that pre-dates and runs through any single government programme.

India's 2026 Asian Games medal watch

The 2026 Asian Games, hosted in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, are under way, and Roshibina's silver is part of a broader Indian campaign across dozens of disciplines. Each podium finish adds to a tally that political leaders across party lines are tracking closely — and celebrating loudly. Minister Sonowal's post, tagged #Cheer4Bharat and #AsianGames2026, is part of that national moment.

For Roshibina Devi, the silver is its own statement. Three Games. Three medals. The hat-trick is complete — and the benchmark for the next generation of Indian wushu athletes has just been raised.