'How could this happen?' Gold medal stripped overnight, 1st place to disqualification incident: "I will not collapse and will endure" [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

This is an unprecedented situation. At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, a Kazakhstani athlete who crossed the finish line first in the athletics event and won the gold medal was suddenly disqualified the day after the competition due to a rule violation and stripped of her medal.

Japanese media outlet "The Answer" reported on the 28th that Yasmina Toksanbayeva (Kazakhstan), who finished first in the women's marathon race walk at the Asian Games, was disqualified the following day, on the 28th, for violating shoe regulations. As a result, Japan's Umeno Sachiko, who crossed the finish line in fourth place, moved up to third and inherited the bronze medal.

On the 27th, Toksanbayeva finished first with a time of 3 hours, 22 minutes, and 20 seconds during the women's marathon race walk held on a course around Aichi Prefectural Office and Nagoya City Hall in Japan.

This was an upset. Toksanbayeva, considered an absolute powerhouse in this event, defeated two Chinese athletes who were expected to dominate and claimed victory, shedding tears of emotion. At the time, the Chinese athletes finished second and third, while Japan's Umeno finished fourth with a time of 3 hours, 34 minutes, and 59 seconds, expressing regret: "I think I had no strength left in my legs at the end. It's frustrating."

However, the results were completely overturned overnight. After post-race review, it was confirmed on the 28th that Toksanbayeva's shoe sole thickness violated regulations, leading to her disqualification and revocation of the gold medal. Consequently, all rankings below first place shifted down by one position: Umeno, who had finished fourth, unexpectedly won the bronze medal, and Yalai Maika, who finished fifth, moved up to fourth.

Toksanbayeva, who was left feeling empty after having her gold medal stripped, expressed gratitude to fans worldwide via her personal social networking service (SNS) and shared her feelings.

In Kazakh and Russian, Toksanbayeva said, "Thank you to everyone. Everything will be resolved in the best possible way according to God's will." She added, "I want to say how much your support means as comfort and strength to me right now. Thanks to you, I am able to endure this difficult moment without collapsing."

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*This content was translated by AI.