Jean de La Fontaine's moral that
patience and length of time are more than strength or rage
must have inspired Charles Coste: the 1948 Olympic champion in the pursuit event comes, almost seventy-four years after his feat, to be made a Knight of the Legion of Honor… And to hear this Marseillaise resound which he and his companions had been deprived of in London “because we had not found the disc”, he remembers
A career thwarted by the war
Born in early 1924, Charles quickly fell in love with the little queen: “At ten, I was already telling my parents that I would be an Olympic champion one day,” he confirms.
The Second World War thwarting – temporarily – his projects, the young man from Var had the good fortune to take part, victoriously, in the first post-war games in London: “it was a very hard time, but we were free and was the main thing!
".
It was Tony Estanguet, the president of Paris 2024, who presented him with the Legion of Honor.
And promised him that he would be guest of honor at the next Olympic Games, in France.
"I will be 100 years old, so I can't say if I will still be here", smiles the oldest French Olympic champion still alive.
Discover its fabulous story in this video from our partner Brut.
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