Kazakh NOC explains race walker Toxanbayeva’s disqualification at 2026 Asiad

Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee clarified the situation around the disqualification of athlete Yasmina Toxanbayeva, who finished first in the marathon race walk event at the 2026 Asian Games. The reason was the athlete’s footwear, which was not on World Athletics’ list of approved shoes.

On Sept. 27, Toxanbayeva secured gold by finishing first in the marathon race walk in 3 hours, 22 minutes and 20 seconds, outpacing her closest competitor by around four minutes. She was initially declared the winner.

After the finish, technical delegates checked the shoes of the three medalists from both the men’s and women’s events. Toxanbayeva’s shoe model turned out not to be on the list approved by World Athletics. Photos of the shoes and relevant information were submitted to the international federation and the award ceremony was postponed pending its official conclusion.

World Athletics later confirmed that the shoes worn by the Kazakhstani athlete did not meet the applicable requirements. According to the international federation’s rules, the athlete’s result is deemed invalid in such cases, after which the final results are amended.

The requirements for competition shoes were updated by a decision of the World Athletics Council on March 19, 2026, and came into effect on April 20. According to Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee, information about the changes was sent to all national federations.

This is not the first such case at the current Asian Games. The result of Iranian athlete Fatemeh Mohitizadeh in the heptathlon was also annulled because her shoe model was not on the approved list. Following the revision of the results, Kazakhstani athlete Alina Chistyakova moved from fourth to third place and claimed the bronze medal.

Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee said it continues to cooperate with World Athletics, the Asian Athletics Association, the Olympic Council of Asia and the Athletics Federation of Kazakhstan. The parties are also considering an appeal.