Asian Games: Manu Francis, Prince Noble win sailing silver for India
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Gamagori City: Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Noble secured India’s first sailing medal at the Asian Games, winning silver in the men’s skiff event on Thursday.
The Indian duo finished the nine-race series with 23 net points, behind China’s Wen Zaiding and Liu Tian, who claimed gold with 16 points. Hong Kong China’s Akira Luke Sakai and Russel Aylsworth took bronze with 24 points.
Francis and Noble ended the competition strongly, finishing second in the ninth and final race. They had earlier won Race 3 and secured runner-up finishes in Races 1 and 5.
The pair accumulated 29 points across the nine races, with their sixth-place finish in Race 8 discarded under sailing’s scoring system, leaving them with a net total of 23 points.
In sailing, the lowest aggregate score wins. Competitors receive one point for a race win, two for second place and so on, while the worst result is discarded after the required number of races.
China won four of the nine races to maintain its lead at the top of the standings.
The medal marked India’s first Asian Games silver in the men’s skiff event and its second medal in the discipline. Varun Thakkar and K.C. Ganapathy had won bronze in the men’s 49er event at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. It was India’s 24th sailing medal in Asian Games history.
The Kochi-based sailors, aged 31 and 30 respectively, have known each other since childhood. They developed an interest in sailing at a young age and trained at the National Sailing School in Bhopal and the Muziris Yachting Club in Kerala.
The Asian Games silver adds to their previous success as a team, including bronze medals at the Asian Sailing Championships.
Skiffs are lightweight boats that require close coordination between crew members. Tactical positioning, wind management and consistency across races play a crucial role in determining the final standings.
Earlier in the day, India’s Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma finished fourth in the women’s skiff event. The pair had also placed fourth at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
(Inputs from IANS)