In 1948, Charles Coste fetched his Olympic gold in cycling alongside three of his teammates at the London Olympics. Seventy-six years into the feat, the medal has brought the glory of reminiscing and unending pride for the near-100-year-old as he prepares to bear the torch at the Paris Olympics 2024. “It’s a great honor,” Coste remarked over the opportunity and today he reveals the stem of his journey to eminence.

Coste was 23 when he captained the Olympics men’s team which included Serge Blusson, Pierre Adam, and Fernand Decanali. The victory etched a beginning for him in cycling that took him to the Tour de France and Grand Prix des Nations in the following years. This path to glory, interestingly, was wished upon by Charles Coste, the teenager.

A subconscious wish of years

Charles Coste was born at a time of chaos engulfing the world around. The circumstances influentially or not, left young Coste with two options for the future; a general or an Olympic champion. “My mother used to say that when I was 10 or 12, I would tell her I would be an army General or an Olympic champion. I chose to be an Olympic champion,” he told Reuters. The decision today has brought another chance at honor which was initially denied at the 1948 Olympics podium.

“They weren’t the grandiose Games of today. England was still traumatized by the war. There was no Olympic village,” Coste recalls on the days. Furthermore, the team wasn’t given a chance to hear their deserved La Marseillaise because they ‘couldn’t find the disc’. But for the team, it was all well until they had their hands on the gold and they did, navigating through the odds.

Way to the 1948 Olympics gold

It was a serious game for Charles Coste and his team to get their hands on the gold. In preparation for it, the first step involved the team racing the London course to etch the path well in memory. The second was to beat the home team that held prominence and favor of the crowd. In doing so, the team started slow to pick up a pace later on and ultimately found their way to the podium. “When we got the medal, it was the crowning glory. It was our dream and we’d just made it come true,” he says.

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The further Olympics honor that the team missed out on was granted two years ago. At the receival of  Legion d’Honneu, Charles Coste was honored with not just the highest national order but also the Marseillaise he was denied years ago. Through the roller coaster, the Olympian found his dream and his glory.

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