Nagoya, Sep 21 (IANS) Indian Wushu players Aryan and Roshibina Devi on Monday won their respective 1/8 finals at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall to progress into the quarterfinals at the ongoing Asian Games 2026 here.
Aryan defeated Afghanistan’s Safi Shahzada in the Men’s 56kg pre-quarters 2-0 to progress into the quarterfinals, while two-time Asiad medallist Roshibina outclassed Bangladesh’s Shika Khatun in her Women’s 60kg 1/8 finals to move into the last eight with a victory by point difference.
Both are now one win away from securing a medal as they will be playing their quarterfinals now. Aryan and Roshibina will be in action in the QFs on Tuesday for medals and also for the places in the semifinals.
Roshibina is a two-time Asiad medallist, having won a silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Games and a bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Games. She is also a South Asian Games gold medallist from the 2019 Kathmandu-Pokhara and a bronze winner in the 2016 World Junior Championships.
Earlier in the day, India’s Nyeman Wangsu finished 15th in the Women’s Changquan final. Indian wushu athletes have shown glimpses of impressive performances, with Suraj Singh Mayanglambam coming close to a podium finish on Sunday.
Suraj finished 11th in the Men’s Changquan Wushu final, narrowly missing the podium by just 0.040 points in a closely contested competition.
Competing in a 21-athlete field at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall, Suraj produced a total score of 9.683 points. The Indian wushu exponent earned a perfect 5.00 in Quality of Movement (A-Score) and 2.00 in Degree of Difficulty (C-Score), with no deductions. He received 2.683 in Overall Performance (B-Score).
Macau’s Kuong Chi Hin claimed the top position with 9.723 points, while compatriot Chi Kuan Song finished second with 9.720. The narrow gap at the top also underlined how fine the margins were in the final, with Suraj’s score only 0.040 points adrift of the bronze-medal mark.
–IANS
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