Kurt Strumpf/Associated Press
Enriqueta Basilio, a Mexican sprinter who at the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City became the first woman to light the Olympic flame, died on Oct. 26. She was 71.
Her death was confirmed by the Mexican Olympic Committee, which did not specify where she died or the cause.
The 1968 Olympic Games were memorable for a number of reasons, starting with Basilio’s appearance in the opening ceremonies. A 20-year-old member of the Mexican track and field team, she created a stir in the international press after she was selected to light the Olympic caldron and greeted the honor with aplomb.