Asian Games: Manu Francis, Prince Noble win India's first men's skiff silver
Synopsis
Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Noble — childhood friends from Kochi — have become the first Indian pair to win Asian Games silver in the men's skiff, finishing with 23 net points after nine races in Gamagori. It is India's 24th Asian Games sailing medal and the country's second in the men's skiff discipline, eight years after Thakkar and Ganapathy's bronze in Jakarta.
Key Takeaways
Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Noble won silver in the men's skiff at the Asian Games on 1 October 2026 in Gamagori City .
The pair finished with a net score of 23 points , behind China ( 16 points ) and ahead of Hong Kong China ( 24 points ).
It is India's first Asian Games silver in the men's skiff and the country's 24th sailing medal at the Games.
Their previous best as a pair was bronze at the Asian Sailing Championships ; both trained at the National Sailing School, Bhopal and Muziris Yachting Club, Kerala .
Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma finished fourth in the women's skiff, missing the podium for the second successive Asian Games.
Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Noble delivered India's first sailing medal at the Asian Games in Gamagori City on 1 October 2026, claiming silver in the men's skiff competition after nine races. The Kochi-based pair finished with a net score of 23 points, four more than gold medallists Wen Zaiding and Liu Tian of China, who topped the standings with 16 points. Hong Kong China's Akira Luke Sakai and Russel Aylsworth completed the podium with 24 points.
How the Regatta Unfolded
Francis and Noble ran a consistent campaign across the nine-race series, with their standout performance coming in Race 3, which they won outright. They also registered second-place finishes in Races 1, 5, and 9. The pair accumulated 29 gross points, with their sixth-place finish in Race 8 discarded — as sailing's low-point scoring system permits — to arrive at a net tally of 23. In sailing's scoring format, the lowest aggregate score wins, with one point awarded to the race winner and higher scores to those finishing further down.
China demonstrated dominant consistency at the front of the fleet, winning four of the nine races to clinch gold comfortably.
A Historic Milestone for Indian Sailing
The silver is India's first Asian Games silver in the men's skiff and the country's second medal in the discipline. The earlier medal came at Jakarta 2018, when Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy won bronze in the men's 49er. More broadly, it is India's 24th sailing medal at the Asian Games overall. At Hangzhou 2023, India had secured three medals from the sailing events.
The Sailors Behind the Medal
Francis, 31, and Noble, 30, have known each other since childhood and took to sailing at an early age. Both trained at the National Sailing School in Bhopal and the Muziris Yachting Club in Kerala. The duo had previously claimed bronze together at the Asian Sailing Championships, making their Asian Games silver a natural progression in a steady competitive partnership.
Skiffs are lightweight, fast-planing sailing boats that require precise coordination between crew members. Race outcomes in the discipline are frequently determined by tactical decision-making, starting positioning, and the ability to maintain consistency across a multi-race series — qualities Francis and Noble demonstrated throughout the regatta.
Women's Skiff Misses Out
Earlier on the same day, Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma narrowly fell short in the women's skiff, finishing fourth — replicating their identical result from Hangzhou 2023. The women's pair came agonisingly close to a podium finish but could not convert their campaign into a medal.
With the men's skiff silver secured, India's sailing contingent will look to build further on this momentum in the remaining events at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Point of View
From the National Sailing School in Bhopal to the Muziris Yachting Club in Kerala, is beginning to yield consistent results at the continental level. Yet the women's skiff fourth place, repeated from Hangzhou, points to a persistent gap between near-medal performance and actual podium conversion. India's 24th Asian Games sailing medal is a healthy aggregate, but the sport remains outside the mainstream spotlight that cricket and athletics command. Sustained media attention and corporate sponsorship — not just government infrastructure — will determine whether Manu and Noble's silver becomes a watershed or a footnote.
NationPress
1 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won India's sailing silver at the Asian Games 2026?
Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Noble won the silver medal in the men's skiff event at the Asian Games 2026 in Gamagori City on 1 October 2026. They finished with a net score of 23 points, behind China's gold-medal pair.
What is the men's skiff event in sailing?
The men's skiff is a competition involving lightweight, fast-planing sailing boats crewed by two sailors. Results are determined by aggregate points across multiple races using a low-point scoring system, where the lowest score wins and each crew's worst race result is discarded.
Is this India's first Asian Games medal in the men's skiff?
No, it is India's second. Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy won bronze in the men's 49er — a related skiff class — at the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games. The 2026 silver is, however, India's first silver in the men's skiff discipline.
How many Asian Games sailing medals does India have in total?
India now has 24 sailing medals at the Asian Games in total. At Hangzhou 2023, India won three sailing medals. The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 silver by Francis and Noble adds to that historic tally.
What happened to India's women's skiff pair at the 2026 Asian Games?
Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma finished fourth in the women's skiff, narrowly missing a medal — the same result they recorded at Hangzhou 2023. The pair came close to the podium but could not secure a place in the top three.
