26th July 2024, Tuileries Garden, Paris. A light drizzle filled the air. On that rain-soaked evening, the Olympic torch was ignited. For Charles Caste, who had crossed the 100-year mark, it was “one of the most beautiful moments” of his life. That day, he handed the torch to French Olympian Teddy Riner, marking a poignant moment in the run-up to the Paris Olympics.
About a month before the Games began, Caste received a call from the organisers. In a rather private conversation, he was informed that he would be one of the torchbearers at the closing stages of the opening ceremony.
At the age of 101, Charles Caste has passed away. France’s Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, confirmed his death yesterday. With this, the world bid farewell to its oldest living former Olympic champion.
Born on 8th February 1924, Caste was a track cyclist. He won a gold medal in the men’s team pursuit event at the 1948 London Olympics.
According to AFP, Caste passed away last Thursday. In confirming his death, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra expressed her deep sorrow: “It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Charles Caste, the champion of the London Olympics. He leaves behind a rich legacy in the world of sport.”
Before the Second World War, Caste was an emerging cyclist, but after the war, he returned to the track. In 1947, he won the French National Championship. The following year, at the London Olympics, he played a crucial role in helping the French team defeat Britain in the semi-finals and Italy in the final of the cycling team pursuit event.
After the death of Hungarian gymnast Agnes Keleti in January, Charles Caste became the world’s oldest living Olympic champion.
Now, in the memory of that rain-drenched Paris evening, the image of Caste holding the torch with a smile remains. A beacon of light from a century-old champion.