First place at the finish cannot be erased. TravelSport stands with Yasmina Toxanbayeva
Yasmina Toxanbayeva crossed the Asian Games marathon race walk finish first in 3:22:20 before her official result was annulled over footwear. TravelSport unequivocally stands with the athlete.
The gold medal is no longer in the official results. But what Yasmina Toxanbayeva did on the streets of Nagoya cannot be erased: she covered 42.195 kilometres in 3:22:20 and crossed the finish line first. TravelSport stands with Yasmina after one of the most painful decisions of her career.
3:22:20 — first across the finish line
On 27 September 2026, Toxanbayeva represented Kazakhstan in the women’s marathon race walk at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Making her debut over the full marathon distance, she finished in 3:22:20.
The next athlete crossed the line in 3:26:09. The difference was three minutes and 49 seconds. At the finish, Yasmina had produced a clear sporting victory over a new and demanding distance.
The official result later changed. A protest was lodged over the footwear used by the Kazakhstan athlete, and her performance was annulled. Gold was reassigned to China, with the remaining medal positions also revised.
TravelSport’s position is clear: we stand with Yasmina
The result was annulled after a protest concerning footwear. That is the official decision. But for TravelSport, the centre of this story is not a shoe model. It is the athlete who prepared for this start, covered the full distance and crossed the finish line first.
Our position is unequivocal: we support Yasmina. An athlete who delivered such a performance deserves support, not to have her entire achievement reduced to a discussion about equipment.
A question that cannot be ignored
After the decision, Toxanbayeva said that the customary pre-start check of her footwear parameters had not taken place and that she would have changed shoes if the problem had been identified. She also acknowledged her own responsibility and said that the approved-shoe list had changed after she bought the pair in the spring.
Qazaq Athletics later stated that Yasmina’s footwear had been checked before the start and that she had been cleared to compete. If the athlete was inspected and admitted to the race, the decision delivered only after she had covered 42.195 kilometres and crossed the line first raises an even more serious question.
We cannot change the official decision. But we can say clearly and without qualification: TravelSport is with Yasmina.
A principled response from Qazaq Athletics
The Kazakhstan Athletics Federation said that it had filed a complaint and a protest and would continue to defend Yasmina’s rights and interests. The Federation also stated that, regardless of the outcome, every payment due to a champion would be paid to Yasmina in full from its own funds.
This is a strong and responsible position. TravelSport thanks the leadership and team of Qazaq Athletics for standing with their athlete, backing their words with concrete action and ensuring that Yasmina does not face this situation alone.
The result was annulled. The effort cannot be.
The official record now shows a disqualification. We will not conceal that fact or present the medal as official.
But the distance and the finish remain part of what happened in Nagoya: 42.195 kilometres, 3:22:20, first across the line and a margin of 3:49 over the next finisher. Those numbers describe the work of an athlete who prepared for one of the biggest starts of her career and delivered an exceptional performance on the course.
A shoe did not cover the distance. Yasmina did.
TravelSport stands with Yasmina
Sport is more than one line in an official result. It is months of preparation, discipline, recovery, pressure and the ability to perform when the moment arrives.
On 27 September in Nagoya, Yasmina Toxanbayeva crossed the finish line first. TravelSport stands with her as an athlete and as a person facing an extraordinarily difficult decision.
For us, Yasmina crossed the line as a champion. And she remains a champion.
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