Francis and Kurisinkal win India’s first Asian Games sailing silver
Indian sailors Manu Francis and Prince Noble Kurisinkal won silver in the men’s skiff race at the Asian Games in Nagoya, opening India’s medal account in sailing. The childhood friends finished with 23 points after nine races, behind China’s Wen Zaiding and Liu Tian, who took gold with 16.
Manu Francis and Prince Noble Kurisinkal won India’s first sailing medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya, taking silver in the men’s skiff race after nine races. The Indian pair finished with 23 points. China’s Wen Zaiding and Liu Tian won gold with 16 points.
In sailing, competitors are rewarded according to their finishing positions, with the lowest aggregate score winning. Francis and Kurisinkal produced their strongest result by winning the third race. They also finished second in races one, five and nine.
China was more consistent at the top of the standings, winning four races. The result came after a difficult eighth race, in which the Indian duo finished last and fell out of medal contention. They needed a strong performance in the final race and responded by finishing second, moving into the silver-medal position.
The two sailors’ partnership began at Cherai beach in Kochi, where they started with a makeshift boat. They were in Class 7 when coach P. Madhu, from the National Sailing School, noticed their ability and encouraged them to take up sailing seriously.
They trained for two years at the National Sailing School in Bhopal before returning to Kerala. There, retired Colonel Navneet Mittal and Suresh Pillai continued their development at the Muziris Yachting Club. Both men joined the Indian Army after completing their Plus Two education while remaining involved in sailing.
Since 2020, they have trained under Sandeep Jain at the Army Yachting Node in Mumbai. Their competitive record includes bronze medals at the Asian Sailing Championships in Abu Dhabi in 2022 and Thailand in 2023. The Asian Games was their debut at the event, and their silver medal opened India’s account in sailing.
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