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Oldest Olympic relay torchbearer dies at 102

Alexander Kaptarenko

Torch bearer, 101-year old Alexander Kaptarenko carries an Olympic torch during the Olympic torch relay in Novosibirsk, about 2,800 kilometers (1,750 miles) east of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. Alexander Kaptarenko who still plays table tennis is the oldest torch bearer in the Olympic torch relay and he plans to participate in the European table tennis veterans championships. The 65,000-kilometer (39,000 mile) Sochi torch relay, which started on Oct. 7, is the longest in Olympic history. The torch has traveled to the North Pole on a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker and has even been flown into space. (AP Photo/Ilnar Salakhiev)

AP

Alexander Kaptarenko, who became the oldest Olympic relay torchbearer last December, died Saturday morning, according to Russian media reports.

Kaptarenko carried a Sochi Olympic torch in Novosibirsk for 200 meters on Dec. 7. He trained for the honor by carrying a frozen salmon.

Kaptarenko, born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1912, competed in table tennis for decades, most recently at a European veterans championship in 2012.

The oldest 2012 Olympic relay member was Dinah Gould, who was 100.

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