Paralympic champion Zanardi dies
\n ROME
\nAlex Zanardi, the Italian Formula One driver who became a Paralympic cycling champion after losing both legs in an accident, has died aged 59, his family announced Saturday.
\nZanardi, one of his country\u2019s most loved and respected sportsmen, who was credited with helping transform the perception of disability in Italy, died on Friday evening.
\nIn a statement issued through the charity he founded, Obiettivo3, his family said he died \u201csuddenly\u201d, but also \u201cpeacefully, surrounded by the love of his family and friends\u201d.
\nIt comes six years after the four-time Paralympic gold medal winner suffered a second horror crash in June 2020, when his handbike crashed into an oncoming truck during a race in Tuscany.
\nItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed Zanardi as \u201ca great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every trial of life into a lesson in courage, strength and dignity\u201d.
\nCordiano Dagnoni, head of the Italian Cycling Federation, said he \u201ctransformed the culture of our country, bringing joy and happiness to those fortunate enough to know him, and hope to so many in Italy and around the world\u201d.
\nHe said there would be a minute\u2019s silence observed at this weekend\u2019s races in tribute to the athlete.
\nZanardi raced for Jordan, Minardi and Lotus in F1 in the early 1990s before switching to the CART championship in the United States where he was series champion in 1997 and 1998.
\nHe returned to F1 with Williams in 1999 before heading back to CART.
\nZanardi almost died in a horrific accident in 2001 at the Lausitzring track in Germany, after which he had both legs amputated.
\nHis car had stalled in the middle of the track after a spin and was struck by another car at a speed of over 300 km\/h (186 mph).
\nYet he went on to become one of the best-known figures in Paralympic sports, winning two gold medals at the 2012 London Games and two more in Rio de Janeiro, four years later.
\nIn June 2020, he was involved in another terrible accident, this time in Tuscany. He suffered serious head injuries and only returned home 18 months later.
\nZanardi, born in Bologna on October 23, 1966, leaves his wife Daniela and son Niccolo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Paralympic champion Zanardi dies ROME Alex Zanardi, the Italian Formula One driver who became a Paralympic cycling champion after losing both legs in an accident, has died aged 59, his family announced Saturday. Zanardi, one of his country\u2019s most loved and respected sportsmen, who was credited with helping transform the perception of disability in Italy, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-544368","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n