Olympic torchbearer and 1948 gold medallist Charles Coste dies at 101

Charles Cost, who will turn 100 years old on Thursday, Olympic champion in Men's Team Pursuit in track cycling at the 1948 London Games and oldest living French Olympic champion, poses with a photo of himself when he was competing, during an interview at his apartment, in Bois-Colombes, near Paris, France, February 5, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq REUTERS - STEPHANIE LECOCQ

Charles Coste, the French cyclist who won Olympic gold in London in 1948 and later became the world’s oldest living Olympic champion, has died at the age of 101.

A quiet hero of French sport, Coste only found fame late in life when his Olympic story came full circle at the Paris 2024 Games.