NEW DELHI: A day after publicly questioning her exclusion from India’s Asian Games wushu squad, Divyanshi Choudhary has changed her tone, saying she now understands why the federation decided to pull her out of the team and that her priority is to recover from her knee injury.In a video message, the wushu athlete said officials had explained to her that her health had to come first and that she would need to regain full fitness before returning to competition.“My federation explained to me a lot. And explained to me that for my federation, the first thing is the health of the player,” Divyanshi said. “That’s why my federation wants me to recover from my injury first. I will recover from that injury and then I will return to the field.”Divyanshi had earlier alleged that she was dropped from the Asian Games squad at the last moment despite winning the final selection trial against two-time Asian Games medallist Roshibina Devi Naorem. The Wushu Association of India, however, maintained that she was injured and that a Sports Authority of India medical assessment had advised her to stay away from competition until she recovered.The medical assessment became central to the dispute. An MRI showed a partial to high-grade ACL tear, while an SAI medical report subsequently advised rehabilitation, regular follow-up and refraining from competitive or full training until recovery.In her latest message, Divyanshi said several people had spoken to her and helped her understand the federation’s position. She named Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, WAI president Jitender Singh Bajwa, Rajesh Singh, Sushil Kumar Handu, her coach Ashok Gautam, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajeev Dutta among those who had explained the situation to her.“I was not able to understand all these things. I was not able to understand anything,” she said. “All the sir and ma’am of the side explained to me. First of all, your health is your fitness for all of us. I will focus on my health and fitness.”The 2026 Asian Games will therefore go ahead without Divyanshi, but the athlete insists this is not the end of her campaign. Instead, she is already looking towards the next edition with ambitions to win gold medals.Divyanshi also spoke about Roshibina, repeating her allegation that she had been mentally harassed by the fellow athlete and that her family had also been affected. She said the alleged harassment had continued from June onwards.“Roshabhina Didi who mentally and physically harassed me and my family. I will never forget that a player can fall to this extent,” she said.Divyanshi said the episode had initially left her believing that the federation was not supporting her. She now says she has changed her view.“After that, I was understanding that my federation is not with me. But my federation is with me. Everyone supported me and explained to me. Now I have understood that everyone is with me,” she said.
