Charles Coste

Charles Coste
Coste in 2024
Born(1924-02-08)8 February 1924
Ollioules, France
Died29 October 2025(2025-10-29) (aged 101)
AwardsLegion of Honour
Cycling career
SportCycling
Medal record
Representing  France
Men's cycling
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1948 LondonTeam pursuit

Charles Coste (8 February 1924 – 29 October 2025) was a French cyclist, and an Olympic champion in team pursuit from 1948.

Biography

Coste was born in Ollioules on 8 February 1924. He won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, together with Fernand Decanali, Pierre Adam and Serge Blusson. He won a bronze medal in individual pursuit at the 1948 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. He finished in fourth place in the 1950 Paris–Roubaix.

Coste turned 100 on 8 February 2024.

Coste was the oldest bearer of the 2024 Summer Olympics torch during the opening ceremony of the games in Paris. He lit the torches of the final pair of torch bearers, fellow French gold medallists Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner, who then lit the Olympic Cauldron. He was the oldest living French Olympic medal winner and had also been born in the year Paris last hosted the Summer Olympic Games. In January 2025, following the death of Ágnes Keleti, he became the oldest living Olympic champion.

After the death of French long jumper Yvonne Curtet in February 2025, Coste became the oldest living French Olympian, and the oldest survivor of the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Coste died on 29 October 2025, at the age of 101.

References

  1. 1 2 "Charles Coste". Olympedia. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  2. ↑ "Charles Coste". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Track Cycling World Championships 2016 to 1893". bikecult.com. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  4. 1 2 Tchir, Paul (4 March 2025). "Yvonne Chabot-Curtet". OlympStats. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  5. ↑ "48th Paris – Roubaix, 1950". bikeraceinfo. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  6. ↑ WEULERSSE, Victor (8 February 2024). "RENCONTRE. À 100 ans, Charles Coste, plus vieux champion olympique français en vie, garde la flamme". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  7. ↑ Fryer, Jenna (27 July 2024). "Who lit the Olympic cauldron?". wkyc.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ↑ Ling, Micah (8 February 2024). "100-Year-Old Gold Medal Cyclist Charles Coste Will Carry the Torch at the Paris Olympics". bicycling.com. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Elhunyt Keleti Ágnes ötszörös olimpiai bajnok tornász, a Nemzet Sportolója". hirado.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "Doyen des champions olympiques et avant-dernier relayeur de la flamme à Paris 2024, Charles Coste est mort à 101 ans" [The oldest living Olympic champion and second-to-last torchbearer at Paris 2024, Charles Coste, has died at the age of 101.] (in French). L'Équipe. 2 November 2025. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "Charles Coste, ancien cycliste et doyen mondial des champions olympiques, est mort à 101 ans" [Charles Coste, former cyclist and world's oldest Olympic champion, dies at 101] (in French). Le Monde. 2 November 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  12. ↑ Charles Coste