Kazakhstan NOC explains Toksanbayeva's disqualification at Asian Games 2026

Kazakhstan's National Olympic Committee has explained the disqualification of Yasmine Toksanbayeva, who was the first to cross the finish line in the marathon race walk at the 2026 Asian Games. The decision was based on the fact that the athlete's shoe model was not on the list approved by World Athletics, according to infohub.kz.

On September 27, Toksanbayeva won the 2026 Asian Games, becoming the first to complete the marathon race walking distance with a time of 3 hours 22 minutes 20 seconds. The Kazakh athlete finished almost four minutes ahead of her nearest rival and was initially declared the winner of the competition.

After the finish, technical delegates checked the shoes of the three medalists in the men's and women's events. It turned out that Toksanbayeva's sneaker model was not on the list approved by World Athletics. Photos of the shoes and the necessary information were sent to the international federation, and the award ceremony was postponed until an official ruling was received.

World Athletics subsequently confirmed that the model used by the Kazakh athlete did not meet current requirements. Under the international federation's rules, an athlete's result in such a case is declared invalid, after which the final competition protocol is adjusted.

Requirements for competition shoes were updated by a decision of the World Athletics Council on March 19, 2026, and took effect on April 20. As the Kazakhstan NOC clarified, information about the changes was sent to all national federations.

A similar case has already occurred at the current Asian Games. The result of Iranian heptathlete Fatima Mohitzadeh was also annulled due to a shoe model that was not on the approved list. After the protocol was revised, Kazakhstan's Alina Chistyakova moved up from fourth to third place and received the bronze medal.

The Kazakhstan NOC said it continues to work with World Athletics, the Asian Athletics Association, the Olympic Council of Asia and the Athletics Federation of Kazakhstan. The parties are also considering the possibility of filing an appeal.