Manu Francis and Prince Noble Kurisinkal win men's skiff silver for India at Asian Games in Nagoya

Manu Francis and Prince Noble Kurisinkal won the silver medal in the men's skiff at the Asian Games in Nagoya on October 1, 2026, opening India's account in sailing at the competition.

Their partnership began on Cherai beach in Kochi, where they first sailed in a makeshift boat as children; they are friends and relatives who took up the sport together in Class 7 after coach P Madhu of the National Sailing School noticed their ability and encouraged them to pursue sailing seriously. The pair then spent two years training at the National Sailing School in Bhopal before returning to Kerala.

Back in Kerala they developed further under retired Colonel Navneet Mittal and Suresh Pillai at the Muziris Yachting Club. After completing their Plus Two education both joined the Indian Army while continuing to sail. Since 2020 they have been coached by Sandeep Jain and have trained at the Army Yachting Node in Mumbai as they prepared for major international competitions.

Their competitive record dates to the Silver Jubilee National Laser Regatta in 2010 and has since progressed to the international level. The duo won bronze at the Asian Sailing Championships in Abu Dhabi in 2022 and repeated that result in Thailand a year later. The Nagoya regatta was their debut at the Asian Games.

Across the nine-race men's skiff series Francis and Kurisinkal finished with 23 points to claim silver, behind China's Wen Zaiding and Liu Tian who accumulated 16 points. The event used the standard low-point scoring system, with the race winner receiving one point and the objective to finish on the lowest aggregate after all races.

Their best finish came when they won race three, and they recorded second-place finishes in races one, five and nine. China won four races overall. A last-place finish in race eight left the Indian pair initially out of medal contention, but a second place in the final race propelled them up the standings to secure silver.

As their Asian Games debut, the silver medal places Francis and Kurisinkal second in the final standings behind China and represents India's first sailing medal at these Games.