Asian Games: Childhood friends Manu Francis, Noble Kurisinkal bring home 1st sailing silver
For Manu Francis and Prince Noble Kurisinkala, the journey in yachting did not start with glitz and glamour. Rather, it started at Cherai Beach in Kochi with a makeshift boat. Now both men battled the waves in Nagoya to secure a silver medal in the men’s sculls, opening India’s account in the sport.
Amidst their massive success, the only constant that has stood the test of time is their bond and friendship. Manu and Prince are friends and relatives and have taken the step of sailing together. Their journey began when they were in the 7th grade. P Madhu, a coach at the National Sailing School, spotted their abilities and encouraged both youngsters to take up the sport seriously. They spent the next two years training at the National Sailing School in Bhopal before returning home.
Asian Games 2026, 1 October update
Back in Kerala, the pair continued to develop their skills under the guidance of Colonel Navneet Mittal and Suresh Pillai at the Muziris Yachting Club. Their devotion to sailing did not disappear even after school. Both eventually joined the Indian Army after completing their plus two education while pursuing sports.
As of 2020, the duo is coached by Sandeep Jain and has intensified their preparation at the Army Yachting Node in Mumbai, where they train intensively for major international competitions.
Their competitive journey dates back to the Silver Jubilee National Laser Regatta in 2010. Since then they have progressed to the international stage and established themselves as a consistent duo in the skiff category.
Both sailors claimed bronze at the 2022 Asian Sailing Championships in Abu Dhabi before repeating their feat a year later in Thailand.
It was their Asian Games debut and both men are determined to put sailing back on the map for India.
JAK MANU AND NOBLE LEVERED SILVER
Manu and Noble remained consistent throughout the nine events to secure India a silver medal at the Asian Games on Thursday.
They finished the nine-race competition with 23 points. The pair was beaten to the gold by the Chinese Wen Zaiding and Liu Tian, who scored 16 points.
The sailing scoring system rewards athletes based on their finish in each race, with the winner receiving one point. The goal is to finish with the lowest total score after all races.
Francis and Noble achieved their best result by winning the third race while finishing second in races 1, 5 and 9. China proved more consistent at the top end of the standings, winning four races and taking the gold medal.
On Thursday, Manu and Noble had their backs against the wall. A poor performance in Race 8, where they finished last, meant they were out of medal contention.
They needed a big result in the final race and they got it, finishing second, moving up the final standings and eventually just behind leaders China.
– The end