Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 30: Tibetan athlete Tenzin Choezom has bagged a gold medal in the women’s marathon race walk at the 2026 Asian Games after Kazakhstan’s Yasmina Toxanbayeva, who initially crossed the finish line first, was disqualified over her footwear.
Toxanbayeva completed the 42.195-kilometre race in 3:22:20, finishing ahead of Choezom and initially taking the top spot. However, following the race, an event official reportedly submitted photographs and relevant documentation concerning the shoes worn by the Kazakh athlete to the competition committee.
Her result was subsequently invalidated after officials determined that the footwear she used was not among the models approved under World Athletics regulations. Choezom, who had initially finished second, was therefore elevated to first place and awarded the gold medal.
China’s Ma Li was declared the silver medallist after finishing the race in 3:32:26, while Japan’s Umeno took bronze in 3:34:59.
Choezom’s Asian Games gold adds to a series of notable results in race walking. In 2024, she won first place in the women’s half-marathon race walk in Lhasa. In 2026, she finished third at the Chinese National Women’s Race Walking Half Marathon Championship in Huangshan, Anhui, before securing second place at the Chinese National Women’s Race Walking Championship in Hefei, Anhui, in May.
