Asian Games: Manu Francis and Prince Nobel win India's first sailing medal, a silver in men's skiff
India won its first sailing medal at the 2026 Asian Games as Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Nobel took silver in the men's skiff on Thursday.
India has won its first sailing medal at the 2026 Asian Games. On Thursday, Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Nobel took the silver medal in the men's skiff event. After nine races, India finished second and China first.
The Indian pair ended the regatta on 23 points. China's Wen Zhiding and Liu Tian won gold with 16 points, leaving the Indian pair only four points behind them (sic). The Hong Kong, China pair of Akila Luk Sakai and Russell Aylsworth were third with 24 points.
Francis and Nobel were consistent throughout. Their best result came in the third race, which they won. They also finished second in races 1, 5 and 9. In the ninth race they totalled 29 points. They were sixth in the eighth race, after which their net score stood at 23.
This is India's first Asian Games silver in the men's skiff and the country's second medal in the event. Earlier, Varun Thakkar and K. C. Ganapathy won bronze at Jakarta 2018. The silver won by Manu and Prince is also India's 24th sailing medal at the Asian Games. India won three medals at Hangzhou 2023.
Sailing differs from most sports in that it uses a low-point scoring system. The boat that wins a race gets one point, the second-placed boat two points, and so on. The team with the fewest points wins. After a set number of races, the worst result is discarded.
The silver is a major achievement for Francis, 31, and Nobel, 30, who have known each other since childhood. Both from Kochi, they found success early in their sailing careers. They then began training at the National Sailing School in Bhopal and the Muziris Yachting Club in Kerala.
