With approximately three weeks left for the Interstate Athletics Championships 2026, which will serve as the final selection trials for the Asian Games 2026, the qualification standards and criteria for the Marathon Race Walk — an event that will be featured for the first time at the Asian Games — have still not been announced, leaving many racewalkers confused.

The twist came when AFI did not include the Marathon Race Walk in Interstate 2026, which was supposed to serve as the final trials for the Asian Games 2026, without giving any proper reason.

On the terms of anonymity, a racewalker spoke to nnis Sports, saying:

“This is totally wrong. They should have told us beforehand if they were not going to include it in the Interstate. We are preparing for the Interstate, and now suddenly the federation has decided not to include it.”

 

Another walker reacted by saying:

“If they had this plan, they should have made it clear earlier, at the Open Race-Walking Nationals. For World Championships, racewalkers reached the venue a day before the competition.”

 

However, while many athletes questioned the lack of prior communication, nnis Sports found that there was a reason behind the decision not to include the Marathon Race Walk at the Interstate Championships.

While speaking to many stakeholders, nnis Sports found out that it was India’s foreign racewalking expert, Ronald Weigel’s decision not to include the event in Interstate, as he feels there is not enough time between the Interstate Championships and the Asian Games 2026 for athletes to recover properly.

nnis Sports asked Ronald Weigel at the Federation Cup 2026 why Marathon Race Walking was not included in Interstate 2026. Weigel said:

“I hate to put it this way, but weather conditions in Odisha are much harsher. The qualification for the marathon distance is done because they can’t walk in June-July; you will kill the athletes. Normally, by the beginning of June, we have to finish all the selections. The weather for the half-marathon will be hard too, but a marathon is not possible.”

 

“We had two qualification opportunities — Chandigarh and the World Championships. I have two favourite athletes who will compete, and I hope they will do well at the Asian Games,” Weigel added.

When asked who had been selected for the Asian Games, he said:

“It’s not my decision. The decision for selection is in the hands of AFI.”

 

The Interstate Championships are scheduled from 24–28 June, while athletics at the Asian Games 2026 will take place from 23–29 September 2026. That leaves around three months for recovery for the marathon racewalkers.

A racewalking coach, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Doing four marathon race walks in a year is hard, especially in Bhubaneswar. Odisha’s weather is tough. You will see slow timings even in the half-marathon, while hosting a full marathon in scorching, humid heat will be very hard for the athletes. This time, we are planning to win medals in every event we participate in. We are not going there just to participate.”

 

Marathon Race Walking is a road-walking event covering the traditional marathon distance of 42.195 km. Athletes must follow racewalking rules throughout the race. World Athletics has also introduced individual marathon race walk disciplines as part of its updated racewalking structure from 2026 onward.

It is a gruelling event, and its debut edition was featured at the 13th Indian Open Race-Walking Championships in Chandigarh in February 2026.

Ram Baboo won the debut men’s edition, while Manju Rani won the women’s debut edition, registering 3:09:17.00 and 3:33:24.00 respectively, which are currently India’s fastest timings and national records in the event.

The Indian team also competed at the Caixa World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Brasília 26, where the team reached the venue late due to visa issues, with Priyanka Goswami producing the best result by finishing 10th in 3:43:01.

Indian Athletes’ Results at the World Race Walking Team Championships

Marathon Race Walk

17th Ram Baboo – 3:13:55
20th Sandeep Kumar – 3:15:41
10th Priyanka Goswami – 3:43:01
26th Payal – 3:59:50
30th Manju – 4:05:22

Half Marathon Race Walk

19th Servin Sebastian – 1:30:28
50th Akshdeep – 1:38:19
57th Hardeep – 1:42:28
59th Sahil – 1:43:11
39th Ravina – 1:45:44
43rd Munita – 1:47:15
52nd Mansi – 1:54:12

The athletes’ biggest concern remains the lack of prior communication. While the federation has the authority to decide the qualification and selection criteria for the Asian Games, many feel athletes should have been informed well in advance about how the Marathon Race Walk team would be selected and who would be considered for the event.