"Emmanuel Macron's office said Coste was "until his final breath, the tireless messenger of a certain idea of sport." Coste moved the Paris crowd as he carried the Olympic torch, dressed all in white in a wheelchair in the rain. He lit the torches of French Olympic gold medalists Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec, who teamed to light the cauldron during the rain-soaked opening ceremony. "That moment symbolized the passion and spirit of transmission that drove him," Riner said. "Charles Coste embodied dedication, respect, and love for sport in all its forms.""
"He grew up near the southern port city of Toulon and began pedalling as a child on a wooden tricycle. Excelling on the track, he was crowned French amateur pursuit champion in 1947 and won a bronze medal at the world championships the next year. He captured Olympic gold for France in the men's team pursuit in the first post-Second World War Games alongside teammates Pierre Adam, Serge Blusson and Fernand Decanali, a quartet known as the "ABCD" team. Their win by nearly 39 seconds over Italy remains the greatest margin in Olympic history."
Charles Coste died at age 101, with the French presidency reporting his death. Coste won Olympic team pursuit gold for France at the 1948 London Games as part of the "ABCD" quartet, achieving a nearly 39-second victory over Italy—the largest margin in Olympic history. He became the oldest living Olympic champion in January after the death of Ágnes Keleti. Coste returned to public attention as a torchbearer for the 2024 Paris Games, ceremonially lighting torches alongside Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec. He turned professional after 1948, won the 1949 Grand Prix des Nations, and retired in 1959 after Grand Tours appearances.
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