Charles Coste, world’s oldest Olympian, dies at 101

Charles Coste, the world’s oldest living Olympian and 1948 Olympic cycling gold medalist, has died at 101, the French presidency announced Tuesday.

Coste won the team pursuit gold at the London Games and gained renewed attention last year as one of the final bearers of the Olympic flame for the 2024 Paris Games. Emmanuel Macron’s office called him “the tireless messenger of a certain idea of sport.”

During the ceremony, Coste, in a wheelchair, carried the torch in the rain and lit the cauldron alongside French Olympic gold medalists Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec, reflecting his lifelong devotion to sport.

Born near Toulon, Coste became French amateur pursuit champion in 1947 and earned a bronze at the world championships the following year. With teammates Pierre Adam, Serge Blusson, and Fernand Decanali, he won Olympic gold in the first post-World War II Games, setting a record margin of nearly 39 seconds.

Turning professional, he claimed victory at the 1949 Grand Prix des Nations and competed in two Tours de France and four Giros before retiring in 1959. He later worked as a sales inspector for Europe’s largest laundry.

Macron extended condolences to Coste’s family and cycling fans, calling him “a champion who left his mark on the history of his sport and of the nation.”