AICHI-NAGOYA — The women’s marathon race walk at the 2026 Asian Games concluded with high drama both on the road and in the boardroom, as a post-race technical disqualification stripped Kazakhstan of gold and reshuffled the entire top five standings.

Shoe Standard Violation Strips

Toxanbayeva

of Victory

The race, held at 7:30 AM on September 27, initially saw Kazakhstan’s Yasmina Toxanbayeva cross the finish line first in 3:22:20. However, her victory was revoked following a successful post-race protest. Race officials disqualified Toxanbayeva under World Athletics rule TR7.1[TR5.2] [B], the technical regulation governing improper conduct and compliance with athletic shoe standards, such as sole thickness or market availability limits.
The equipment-based ruling completely transformed the medal table and revised the top positions:

 

  • Gold: China’s Danzengquzong was elevated to the top spot, winning gold with a personal best time of 3:26:09.
  • Silver: Teammate Ma Li ascended to claim silver in 3:32:26, securing a historic 1-2 finish for China.
  • Bronze: Japan’s Yukiko Umeno, who originally finished outside the medals, moved up to capture bronze in 3:34:59.
  • Fourth: Japan’s Maika Yagi took fourth place with a time of 3:36:40.
  • Fifth: India’s Manju Rani was officially elevated into fifth place with a time of 3:40:17.
The turn of events underscores the razor-thin margins of compliance in elite athletics, turning heartbreak for Kazakhstan into a double-podium celebration for the Chinese team.

 

India’s Tough Day on the Road

The elevation to fifth place offered a silver lining to an otherwise challenging campaign for the Indian delegation. As India’s sole entrants across all four marathon and half-marathon race walk events, Priyanka Goswami was disqualified just 9 kilometers into the race after receiving four red cards—two for loss of contact and two for knee flexion—while Manju Rani endured a tough outing to finish in 3:40:17, nearly seven minutes off her personal best of 3:33:24.