By Jagdish Yadav
New Delhi [India], October 8 : For Indian sailor Prince Kurisinkal Noble, the Asian Games silver medal he won alongside cousin and longtime sailing partner Manu Francis carries a deeply personal meaning as he dedicated the achievement to his father, who lost his life in the devastating Kerala floods in 2018.
Prince and Manu, both serving as Havildar and Naik respectively in the Indian Army, returned to India on Wednesday after securing silver in the men's skiff 49er event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The medal was India's first-ever Asian Games silver in the men's skiff and came after a consistent campaign in which the Indian pair finished second behind China after nine races.
"There are a lot of people whose hard work is behind this, but I'd dedicate it to my father," Prince told ANI upon his arrival in New Delhi.
Prince was competing at a sailing regatta in Germany when he learnt that his father, Noble KG, had died after being swept away in the Kerala floods in 2018. Manu, his first cousin and childhood friend, stood by him during the difficult period, and the two have since continued their journey together in the 49er class.
The Asian Games silver represented another step in that journey, with the pair producing one of their strongest performances on the continental stage. They won one of the nine races and finished with 23 points, behind China, while Hong Kong took bronze.
Manu said the pair had made significant improvements over the past year and were able to compete closely with the Chinese sailors.
"We brought in quite a bit of improvement over the past year since we went to play international events, because we felt the need to bring in a lot of improvement. But the improvement I felt at the Asian Games was quite good because the Chinese players are really good sailors. We were able to match up with them, which means we've improved a lot too. We are quite confident about qualifying for the upcoming games," he said.
The Indians, however, believe there is still room for improvement, particularly in lighter wind conditions.
"Our light wind sailing is actually pretty good. We're able to keep up with them when it's a bit windy, but we were still falling a little short. So we need to work on that right now," Manu said.
The bond between the two cousins has also played a major role in their success. Having grown up together and sailed together for years, Prince said their understanding on the boat has developed to the point where words are often unnecessary.
"We've been together since childhood, and we've been sailing together for a long time too. I feel like I don't even need to talk sometimes. Manu understands exactly what I want. So, it feels really great to sail with him," he said.
The duo joined the Madras Engineer Group (MEG) in 2014 and have trained at the Army Yachting Node since 2016. Prince, who is a Havildar, and Manu, a Naik, credited the Indian Army for providing them with the infrastructure and equipment required to compete at the highest level.
"We joined Madras Engineer Group (MEG) in 2014. Since we joined, MEG has been really supportive. After we joined, MEG sent us to the Army Yachting Node, which is India's best sailing facility, to train there. We've been training there since 2016. The Army Yachting Node has played a huge role in this," Prince said.
"One boat alone costs Rs 45 lakhs. And the kind of support we get from the Army—I mean, if you look at this event right now, we have around 30 brand new pieces of equipment. At this Asian Games, we had the newest equipment. No matter how much I talk about the Army's support, it's still going to feel like way too little," he added.
Their training routine includes sailing five days a week along with daily workouts, with a sports scientist, sports psychologist and nutritionist working together on their programme.
The 30-year-old Prince is hopeful to convert his Olympic dream, which he first developed as a schoolboy, into reality.
"It's been a dream of mine to go to the Olympics since I was a kid. When I was in school, the teacher asked everyone what they wanted to be, and everyone said doctor or engineer. I said that I wanted to win a gold medal at the Olympics, and I'm still on that path today. It makes me feel good that one day I will bring home a gold medal from the Olympics; I'll be able to fulfil that dream. I really love living with that feeling," he said.
Manu, 31, believes their recent progress puts an Olympic medal within reach.
"For the Olympics, just like when we talked about our improvement in the Asian Games, if we keep up that improvement, winning a medal at the Olympics won't be difficult. It's very close for us," he said.
Manu also dedicated the medal to everyone who has supported their journey, including the Indian Army, Yachting Association of India, Sports Authority of India, Target Olympic Podium Scheme and their families.
"I'll dedicate this medal to everyone. This isn't just a one-man show; a lot of people have helped from behind. It's everyone--the Indian Army, YAI, SAI, TOPS, and our families. There are a lot of people involved," he said.
The silver medal added to India's growing record in sailing at the Asian Games and was the country's second medal in the men's 49er event, after Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy won bronze at Jakarta 2018. Sailing follows a low-point scoring system, where the boat with the lowest overall score wins.
For Prince and Manu, however, the Aichi-Nagoya silver was about more than a medal--it was another milestone in a shared journey that began in childhood and continues towards their Olympic dream.