India Secures Silver in Men's Skiff at Asian Games 2023
India's Sailing Achievement at Asian Games
File image of Indian athlete Prince Kurisinkal Noble and Manu Francis
(Photo: @Amarsingejangpo/X)
Gamagori City, Oct 1: India has made its mark in sailing at the Asian Games, with Manu Francis and Prince Kurisinkal Noble clinching a silver medal in the men's skiff event on Thursday, finishing second to China after a series of nine races.
The Indian duo concluded the regatta with a total of 23 points, trailing behind the Chinese team of Wen Zaiding and Liu Tian, who secured gold with 16 points. Hong Kong's Akira Luke Sakai and Russel Aylsworth rounded out the podium with 24 points.
Francis and Noble showcased a consistent performance, highlighted by their victory in the third race. They also achieved second-place finishes in Races 1, 5, and 9. Their overall score of 29 points was adjusted to 23 after discarding their sixth-place finish in Race 8.
This silver medal is significant as it marks India's first in the men's skiff category at the Asian Games and the second medal overall in this event. Previously, Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy had won bronze in the men's 49er at the Jakarta 2018 Games. With this achievement, India has now earned 24 sailing medals at the Asian Games, including three at Hangzhou 2023.
Sailing employs a unique low-point scoring system, where the winner of a race receives one point, the second place gets two points, and so forth. The team with the lowest total score wins, with the worst result being discarded after the designated number of races.
China dominated the competition, winning four out of the nine races.
This silver medal adds to the accolades of Francis, 31, and Noble, 30, who have been friends since childhood. The sailors from Kochi developed their passion for sailing early on and trained at the National Sailing School in Bhopal and the Muziris Yachting Club in Kerala.
In addition to their Asian Games success, they previously earned a bronze medal at the Asian Sailing Championships.
Skiffs are lightweight sailing vessels that require excellent teamwork, with race outcomes often hinging on tactical decisions, positioning, and consistency throughout the races.
Earlier on the same day, Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in the women's skiff event, repeating their fourth-place finish from Hangzhou 2023.