Asian Games 2026: Manu Francis, Prince Noble win silver in sailing as India’s overall medal tally reaches 62
Indian sailors Manu Francis and Prince Noble clinched silver in the men's skiff event, pushing India's Asian Games 2026 medal tally to 62.
SLUG: manu-prince-noble-sailing-silver-asian-games-2026 FOCUS: Manu Francis Prince Noble sailing silver SEO_TITLE: Manu Francis and Prince Noble Win Sailing Silver at Asian Games SEO_DESC: Indian sailors Manu Francis and Prince Noble clinched silver in the men's skiff event, pushing India's Asian Games 2026 medal tally to 62. TAGS: Asian Games 2026, India Sports News, Athletics News, India
Indian sailors Manu Francis and Prince Noble secured a historic silver medal in the men's skiff event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. This achievement propelled India's total medal count at the games to 62.
A Landmark Achievement in Sailing
Competing in the 49er class, the duo delivered a highly consistent performance across nine races. They finished the competition with 23 points, placing them second only to the Chinese team. Hong Kong took home the bronze medal. This silver marks India's first sailing medal at the current edition of the games and brings the nation's total sailing medal tally to 24, consisting of one gold, nine silver, and 14 bronze medals.
To put this in perspective, India's last sailing gold at the Asian Games was achieved back in 1982 during the New Delhi edition by Farokh Tarapore and Zarir Karanjia.
From Kerala Grassroots to Asian Glory
The journey of Manu and Prince is a testament to steady progression. Relatives and childhood friends from Kerala, the pair began their journey at the grassroots level. Their path to the podium included training at the National Sailing School in Bhopal and the Muziris Yachting Club. After joining the Indian Army, they continued their professional development through the Army Yachting Node.
Their recent track record includes:
- Bronze at the 2022 Asian Sailing Championship in Abu Dhabi.
- Bronze at the 2023 Asian Sailing Championships in Pattaya.
- First place in the Yachting Association of India's Asian Games Selection Trial-II in Mumbai earlier this year.
Wrestling and Squash: More Medals for India
The sporting momentum continued in other disciplines on Thursday. In wrestling, Nitesh Siwach secured a spot in the men's Greco-Roman 97kg final after a dominant 9-0 victory over Mongolia's Gankhuyag Ganbaatar. Siwach, a previous Asian Championships silver medallist, will now compete for the gold medal against the winner of the semifinal between Japan's Yuri Nakazato and Iran's Mehdi Balihamzehdeh.
In the women's 62kg category, Mansi faced a tough loss of 0-6 against Japan's two-time world champion Nonoka Ozaki in the semifinals, meaning she will now compete in the bronze medal match.
Other Notable Performances
India's multi-sport success continued across several fronts:
- Squash: The women's team secured a bronze medal after a hard-fought 1-2 loss to Hong Kong in the semifinals.
- Sepaktakraw: The men's team confirmed a medal by defeating Vietnam 2-0 in the Group A quadrant match.
- Archery: Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru advanced to the compound men's individual semifinals after defeating Chen Chieh-lun. However, Chikitha Taniparthi's campaign ended in a heartbreaking 143-144 quarterfinal loss to Indonesia's Nurisa Dian Ashrifah.
- Judo: Yamini Mourya moved into the women's 57kg repechage following her quarterfinal exit.
As the games progress, India's current medal standing stands at 10 gold, 22 silver, and 30 bronze, totaling 62 medals.