Asian Games 2026: Yasmina Toxanbayeva Scripts History with Marathon Race Walk Gold; Coach Yelena Yuda on Kazakhstan’s Rise

Nagoya, Sep 27: She frantically started the race. Kazakhstan's Yasmina Toxanbayeva quickly surged to the front of a seven-athlete field and established an early lead. There was little sign of her slowing down as the 21-year-old Kazakh maintained her advantage through the demanding 42.195km course.

And when she crossed the finish line in 3:22:22, she had done more than win gold. She had become the first women's marathon race walk champion in Asian Games history.

The marathon race walk is making its debut at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, and Kazakhstan made its presence felt immediately through Toxanbayeva's remarkable performance.

At the Aichi Prefectural Government and Nagoya City Halls Loop Course, the athletes completed repeated 1km loops, running east to west through the course in Nagoya. The long-distance race-walking crowd in Japan had turned up in good numbers on a pleasant Sunday morning, with the rain from the previous day giving way to cooler and more comfortable conditions for the competitors.

But for Toxanbayeva, the finish was an emotional one.

As she crossed the line, tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly turned towards her coach Yelena Yuda and embraced her in a tight hug.

The work had paid off.

And with the marathon race walk being introduced to the Asian Games for the first time, the 21-year-old had etched her name into the history books.

A gold medal after years of work

Toxanbayeva's victory adds another major achievement to an already impressive record at just 21.

She has competed successfully across several levels of Asian competition, including the Asian U-20 Championships, Asian Championships, Asian U-23 Championships and Asian Race Walking Championships.

At the 2026 Asian Race Walking Championships, she won silver in the half-marathon race walk. She also won bronze at the Asian U-23 Championships earlier this year.

Now, she has an Asian Games gold medal - and a place in the record books as the first women's marathon race walk champion at the continental multi-sport event.

For Yuda, who has been working with Kazakh racewalkers for 25 years, the medal is another reflection of the commitment required to reach the international level.

'They want to be the best'

Speaking exclusively to MyKhel, Yuda was asked about the reason behind her athletes' success.

Her answer centred on the work put in by the athletes themselves.

"They fought hard, trained hard, and completed all the training load. They were determined to achieve this - they want to be the best," Yuda said.

She also spoke about the support available to athletes in Kazakhstan, including training camps, sports nutrition and sportswear.

"We have training camps, and they provide us with sports nutrition and sportswear. So, everything is going well in Kazakhstan with sport," she said.

That combination of preparation, support and an athlete's willingness to take on the workload has been central to Yuda's approach over her long coaching career.

Kazakhstan's race walking success in Nagoya

Toxanbayeva was not Kazakhstan's only medal winner in the women's long-distance race-walking events at the Asian Games.

Kristina Morozova, also coached by Yuda, won silver in the women's half-marathon race walk, clocking 1:35:25 on September 23.

Toxanbayeva then followed with gold in the marathon race walk.

That gave Kazakhstan medals in both women's long-distance race-walking events contested at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

For Yuda, however, the focus remains on the athletes and their development rather than simply the medals.

India already has its own race-walking programme.

The conversation with Yuda also turned towards India and the development of race walking.

India has invested in its elite race-walking programme, with German Olympic medallist Ronald Weigel serving as the national race-walking coach. Weigel took charge in March 2025 and has been involved with India's elite racewalkers during the current international cycle.

India's women also competed in the inaugural Asian Games marathon race walk in Nagoya.

Manju Rani finished sixth in 3:40:17, while Priyanka Goswami was disqualified at the 9km mark.

Asked what India could learn from Kazakhstan, Yuda did not dismiss the quality of Indian athletes.

"India also has good athletes, and I think you have everything you need to achieve such results," she said.

For Yuda, the key ingredient is the determination of the athletes and their desire to compete at the international level.

"It is the girls' determination and their desire to compete at the international level," she added.

Her assessment came after Kazakhstan had produced two medals in the women's long-distance race-walking events in Nagoya - Morozova's silver in the half marathon and Toxanbayeva's historic gold in the marathon.

'Earlier, they used to beat us; now, we are beating them'

Yuda also acknowledged the competitive history between the two countries.

"I wish your girls good luck. Earlier, they used to beat us; now, we are beating them," she said.

There was a smile behind the words, but the comment also reflected the changing competitive landscape in Asian race walking.

For Kazakhstan, the Aichi-Nagoya Games have brought two medals from the women's long-distance events.

For Toxanbayeva, it brought something even more significant.

She arrived at a new event, took the lead early, held it for more than three hours, and crossed the finish line as the inaugural Asian Games champion.