Asian Games 2026: Malayali duo Manu Francis, Prince Noble win sailing silver

Nagoya: Indian sailors Manu Francis and Prince Noble claimed the silver medal in the men's skiff event at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday, boosting India's overall medal count at the Aichi-Nagoya Games to 62.

The Indian pair placed second behind China after tallying 23 points across nine races, whilst Hong Kong took the bronze medal, according to ESPN.

Competing together in the 49er class, Manu and Prince delivered a consistent performance throughout the regatta, which included victory in one of the nine races en route to securing silver.

The result marked India's opening sailing medal at the current edition, bringing the country's historical total in the sport to 24 medals, comprising one gold, nine silver, and 14 bronze. India's sole Asian Games sailing gold was achieved at the 1982 New Delhi Games, where Farokh Tarapore and Zarir Karanjia finished top of the podium.

ALSO READ: India women's squash team claims bronze medal at Asian Games

For Manu and Prince, the silver medal represents another milestone in their steady progression in the 49er discipline. The pair, who are relatives and childhood friends from Kerala, started sailing at the grassroots level before undergoing training at the National Sailing School in Bhopal and the Muziris Yachting Club, according to a media release from SAI Media. They subsequently continued their development under the auspices of the Army Yachting Node.

The duo previously earned bronze medals at both the 2022 Asian Sailing Championship in Abu Dhabi and the 2023 Asian Sailing Championships in Pattaya. They also finished top in the Yachting Association of India's Asian Games Selection Trial-II held in Mumbai in January this year.

Earlier on Thursday, India confirmed its second wrestling medal of the Games when Nitesh Siwach progressed to the men's Greco-Roman 97kg final with a convincing 9-0 victory over Mongolia's Gankhuyag Ganbaatar. Nitesh, who earned an Asian Championships silver earlier this year, will wrestle for gold against the winner of the semi-final between Iran's Mehdi Balihamzehdeh and Japan's Yuri Nakazato.

Meanwhile, Mansi Ahlawat suffered a 0-6 defeat to Japan's two-time world champion Nonoka Ozaki in the women's 62kg semi-final and will contest the bronze medal match.

India also secured a bronze medal in women's team squash following a 1-2 loss to Hong Kong in the semi-finals, whilst the men's sepaktakraw squad guaranteed a medal by defeating Vietnam 2-0 in their quadrant Group A fixture.

ALSO READ: India Completes Archery Clean Sweep with Men's Compound Team

In archery, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru moved into the compound men's individual semi-finals after overcoming Chen Chieh-lun. Conversely, Chikitha Taniparthi's run in the women's individual event ended following a narrow 143-144 quarter-final loss to Indonesia's Nurisa Dian Ashrifah.

India experienced mixed outcomes in judo, where Yamini Mourya entered the women's 57kg repechage after her quarter-final defeat, as Indian competitors continued their campaigns across various disciplines.

With the addition of the sailing silver, India's medal tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Games stood at 62, comprising 10 gold, 22 silver, and 30 bronze.

ANI