A unique sportsman and incredible lover of life, former Formula 1 racer, four-time Paralympic champion Italian Alex (Alessandro) Zanardi, who was hit by a truck in 2020, died at the age of 59, Blick reports.
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“Alex passed away peacefully,” the athlete's family said in a statement.
It should be noted that a quarter of a century ago, the life of the Italian IndyCar racer, where he moved after competing in Formula 1 (45 Grand Prix starts!), was divided into “before” and “after”. In September 2001, during a race at the German “Lausitzring”, Zanardi had a terrible accident (an opponent crashed into his car at a speed of 354 km/h!). Doctors barely saved Alex and were forced to amputate both legs: one at the hip level, the other at the knee.
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Zanardi left the hospital 48 days later, having undergone 16 operations. A month later, he learned to walk again with prosthetics, and a year later… he returned to racing, competing in the WTCC championship and other series.
In 2020, Zanardi again narrowly escaped death. During a handcycle race in Pienza, the Italian collided with a truck. Subsequently, the athlete, who was put into a coma, had to undergo several brain surgeries. Then the Pope himself wrote a letter of support to the rider. And two years later, a fire broke out in Zanardi's house, which forced him to be hospitalized again.
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By the way, the famous racer achieved his greatest successes in manual bicycle racing. He is a four-time Paralympic champion in London and Rio de Janeiro and a 12-time world champion in paracycling.
The news of the former Formula 1 legend's death has not only shocked the sporting world. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacted with deep sadness: “Italy has lost a great champion and an exceptional person who could transform any life challenge into a lesson in courage, strength and dignity.”
Previously, “FACTS” reported that the famous Formula 1 racer who was Schumacher's mentor had died.
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Photos from social networks