Olga Rypakova returned to Oskemen for Olympic Day ©Getty Images

Olympic women's triple jump gold medallist Olga Rypakova was one of the most notable athletes participating in Kazakhstan's Olympic Day celebrations yesterday, leading sessions with children in the eastern part of the country.

The London 2012 champion - who also took silver at Beijing 2008 and bronze at Rio 2016 - returned to her hometown Oskemen at the Olga Rypakova Athletics Centre.

Young athletes competed in running, shot put and high jump disciplines at the event.

Children winning prizes as part of Olympic Day competition ©HOK
Children winning prizes as part of Olympic Day competition ©HOK

"Congratulations on the International Olympic Day," said Rypakova.

"This is a very important holiday for all of us. 

"The modern Olympic Games were revived at the end of the 19th century by the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin, thanks to whom we have the modern Olympic Games and this wonderful holiday."

According to the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan (HOK), hundreds of schoolchildren participated in Olympic Day celebrations in sports such as badminton, table tennis and karate.

HOK held a sports festival for Olympic Day yesterday at the Triathlon Park in the capital Nur-Sultan too.