Charles Coste, Olympic team pursuit champion at the 1948 London Games, has died at 101. He was the penultimate torch relay runner at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, moving the world. The oldest living Olympic champion leaves a vast sporting legacy.
Charles Coste passed away last Thursday in his sleep at 101, as reported by colleagues at Le Parisien. The 1948 London Games team pursuit Olympic champion was the oldest living Olympic winner since Hungarian gymnast Agnes Keleti's death in January 2025.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, Coste, then 100, carried the Olympic flame as the penultimate relay runner, just before Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec. These images moved the world. An accomplished cyclist, he competed in two Tours de France and three Tours d'Italie before retiring in 1959. Winner of the 1949 Grand Prix des Nations, he received the Legion of Honor in 2022.
Months before the event, in Le Figaro's columns, Coste confided: “Unfortunately, I won't be able to carry it for long (the flame) because I walk with difficulty, but it's a great honor that one cannot refuse. It's too beautiful in a sportsman's life… If I didn't have knee arthritis that prevents me from walking properly, forcing me to use my scooter (walker), I would feel in full form.” And adding: “It will be unforgettable.”
Sports Minister Marina Ferrari paid tribute on X: “It is with great emotion that I learned of the passing of Charles Coste, Olympic champion in London in 1948, who relayed the flame of the Paris 2024 Games. At 101, he leaves behind an immense sporting legacy.”
Coste wanted discreet funeral rites. He will be buried next Friday at the Levallois-Perret cemetery.