Alex Zanardi, the Italian former Formula 1 driver who became a four-time Paralympic gold medalist in handcycling after losing both legs in a horrific crash, has died at age 59. His family announced his passing on May 1, saying he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
Zanardi competed in F1 for Jordan, Minardi, Lotus, and Williams in the early 1990s before finding success in the CART series in the United States, winning the championship in 1997 and 1998. In 2001, during a Champ Car race at Germany's Lausitzring, he was involved in a devastating crash that led to the amputation of both legs.
Undeterred, Zanardi returned to motorsport with BMW in the World Touring Car Championship, winning four races. He then took up handcycling and dominated the sport, winning gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympics (H4 time trial and road race), Rio 2016 (H5 time trial and relay), and becoming a 12-time world champion. He also won the men's para-cycling race at the New York Marathon in 2011.
In 2020, Zanardi suffered severe head injuries when he lost control of his handbike during a road race in Tuscany and collided with a truck. He never fully recovered.
Tributes poured in from around the world. The FIA said his "journey from life-changing accident to Paralympics gold medallist made him one of sport's most admired competitors and an enduring symbol of courage and determination." Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called him "a great champion and an extraordinary man" who gave "hope, pride, and the strength to never give up."
Zanardi also served as Italy's flagbearer at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics.