Kazakhstan athlete's gold medal at Asian Games cancelled due to footwear

Kazakhstan's track and field athlete Yasmina Tokhanbayeva's gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games was cancelled due to a protest regarding her footwear. The athlete had crossed the finish line first in the 42.195-kilometer racewalking event.

Tokhanbayeva won the gold medal on September 27 by completing the competition in 3 hours, 22 minutes, and 20 seconds. She outpaced China's representatives Dansensyuzun and Ma Li.

However, after the race concluded, a protest was filed against the Kazakh athlete's result. According to the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, the objection was related to whether the footwear used by Tokhanbayeva complied with the list of models approved by World Athletics. Consequently, her result was initially excluded from the official medal standings.

Following further review, Tokhanbayeva's result was annulled. As a result, China's representative Dansensyuzun, who previously finished second, became the gold medalist, while Ma Li took the silver, and Japan's Yukiko Umeno received the bronze medal.

The athlete also announced the decision on her social media page. She wrote that she desperately wanted to bring the gold medal to her country, but her result had been cancelled. Tokhanbayeva also expressed gratitude to her team and fans who supported her.

According to Reuters, Tokhanbayeva has filed an appeal against the decision. Therefore, further proceedings regarding the athlete's result in this competition are being monitored.