Optimistic ride: Kochi cousins sail into Asian Games silver

Kochi: When Prince Noble was five, he nonchalantly climbed aboard a boat named Optimistic and sailed off the Vypeen coast here with his father, Noble K G, and a few cousins. He could not have known then how apt the name would prove to be.Twenty-five years later, optimism, along with skill, carried Havildar Prince, 30, and his cousin, Naik Manu Francis, 31, both of the Indian Army, to silver in the men’s skiff event at the Asian Games. It was India’s first silver in sailing and its first medal in the event since a bronze in 2018.India led going into the final day but could not hold off China. “A combination of factors went against us. There was pressure on us to sustain our lead coming into today, but silver is what we have to settle for,” Prince told TOI.The contest was decided over nine races, with the lowest aggregate score winning. The Indian pair finished with 23 points, behind China’s Wen Zaiding and Liu Tian, who took gold with 16.Prince is from Vypeen and Manu from Varappuzha. The maternal cousins grew up in fishing families along the Keralam coast. “My father was a fisherman and the sea is near our home. So, we are connected to it. That is why it was easy for us to start with sailing,” Prince said.Their introduction to the sport was anything but technical. “At first we didn’t know anything about sailing. We thought it was like swimming and playing in the water,” he recalled.A turning point came in 2008, when Kochi hosted the Volvo Ocean Race at Willingdon Island. Manu finished first and Prince second. They joined the Indian Army in 2014 and began taking sailing seriously, training at the Mumbai Yachting Node. They won bronze at the 2023 Asian Championships in Abu Dhabi.“We grew up together. Over the years, there’s an understanding between us,” Manu said. Their coach, Sandeep Jain, a retired sub-officer who coaches the 49er team, calls the cousins “dedicated and hardworking” who do not see sailing “as a chore”.Prince’s father, who played a key role in evacuation efforts during the 2018 deluge, died a year later after a leg injury suffered during the operation failed to heal. “I dedicate my silver medal to my father. I’m sure I have made him proud,” he said.His mother, Bindu Noble, called the win “a blessing from the Almighty”. Prince sounded disappointed at missing out on gold, she said, but added: “I just want him to come back home and spend time here. I rarely get to see him these days. Training and competitions keep him in Spain and Germany.”Jain believes the silver is only the beginning. “Their time is still to come,” he said. Prince hopes the medal will bring sailing, still a fringe sport, into the spotlight.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in KochiStay updated with the latest Kochi news. Download the TOI App.