Asian Games 2026: Manu Francis and Prince Noble Win Sailing Silver

India added another Silver medal at the Asian Games 2026 when Manu Francis and Prince Noble came second in the men’s skiff category at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday. The two Indians won nine races to finish with 23 points and bagged their second medal after the team of Sanjeev Raj and Ajay Bhaskar finished third. With this performance, India has got their first medal in sailing at the Asian Games 2026 and India’s medal tally now stands at 62 with 10 gold, 22 silver and 30 bronze medals at the time of reporting.

Manu Francis and Prince Noble in 49er Sailing

Manu Francis and Prince Noble represent India in the 49er class. They have been able to perform well in nine races and also won one race in this competition.

These two sailors are related to each other and have been childhood friends of Kerala. Both of them started sailing at grassroots level before moving to the National Sailing School in Bhopal and the Muziris Yachting Club.

First Gold Medal in Sailing For India at Asian Games 2026

It was India’s first sailing medal at the Asian Games 2026. It also meant that India’s total medal haul in sailing at the Asian Games since 1951 stood at 24 medals with one gold, nine silver and 14 bronze medals, as per the report provided to us.

India bagged its first gold medal in sailing at the Asian Games when Farokh Tarapore and Zarir Karanjia secured victory at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games.

Manu Francis and Prince Noble: Recent Performance

The Indian team is improving in the 49er event through various international events.

They claimed bronze medals at the 2022 Asian Sailing Championships in Abu Dhabi and the 2023 Asian Sailing Championships in Pattaya.

This year in January, the two achieved victory at the Yachting Association of India’s Asian Games Selection Trial-II at Mumbai.