RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif., Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Pete Clentzos, a competitor for Greece at the 1932 Olympics, has died from complications related to hip surgery in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at the age of 97.
Clentzos' son, Pete Jr., said the athlete died Monday at Eisenhower Medical Center, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Clentzos, believed to have been the oldest living Greek Olympian, joined the country's pole vault team after failing to qualify for the U.S. team that same year while attending the University of Southern California. The pole vaulter cleared 12 feet, 3 1/2 inches to take seventh place.
The athlete was born June 15, 1909, in Oakland, Calif., to a family of immigrants from the Greek island of Kythera. He was a member of the USC track and field team that captured NCAA titles in 1930 and 1931.
In 2004, he carried the Olympic torch past the Coliseum in Athens and attended the games as a guest of the Greek government.
Clentzos is survived by his son, his sister Barbara Young and several nieces and nephews. Private memorial services have been planned.
