He Raced Cars, Lost Both Legs, Then Won Paralympic Gold

Alex Zanardi, the Italian auto-racing champ turned Paralympic gold medalist, whose career was marked by two life-altering accidents, has died. He was 59. Zanardi's family announced his death on Saturday, saying that he passed away on Friday night, per the AP. "Alex died peacefully, surrounded by the affection of those closest to him," the family said in a statement without providing a cause of death. In 2020, Zanardi was seriously injured in a handbike accident after crashing into an oncoming truck during a relay event in Tuscany. Zanardi suffered serious facial and cranial trauma in the crash and was placed in a medically induced coma.

Nearly 20 years earlier, Zanardi lost both of his legs in an auto racing crash. He won two championships in CART, in 1997 and 1998, in the US before a brief return to Formula One. He returned to America and was racing in Germany in a CART event in 2001 when both of his legs were severed in a horrific accident the weekend after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. During his recovery, Zanardi designed his own prosthetics and learned to walk again. He then turned his attention to hand cycling and developed into one of the most accomplished athletes in the world. He won four gold medals and two silvers at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, competed in the New York City Marathon, and set an Ironman record.

Zanardi's spirit, will, and determination gave the beloved Italian a larger-than-life persona. He used specially adapted cars with hand controls for the gas and brake to take up racing again after his 2001 accident. Noted for his infectious smile and fanciful storytelling, Zanardi was praised by Pope Francis after his 2020 crash as an example of strength amid adversity. "Italy loses a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every trial of life into a lesson in courage, strength, and dignity," Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni wrote on X. Funeral details were still to be announced, the family said. Zanardi, who was born in Bologna, is survived by his wife, Daniela, and son, Niccolo. More here.