World’s oldest living gold medallist dies at 101

Charles Coste passes the flame to Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.

French cyclist Charles Coste, who had been the world’s oldest living Olympic gold medallist, has died aged 101, French media reported on Sunday.

Coste, who won Olympic gold in track cycling’s team pursuit alongside Pierre Adam, Serge Blusson, and Fernand Decanali, passed away on Thursday.

He had been the world’s oldest living Olympic gold medallist following the death of Hungarian artistic gymnast Agnes Keleti at the age of 103 on 2 January 2025.

Coste was one of the torchbearers during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

His record also includes the 1949 Grand Prix des Nations, a 140-km time trial in which he beat Italian Fausto Coppi, a Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Pritha Sarkar)