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Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi (Italian pronunciation: [ˈaːleks dzaˈnardi]; born 23 October 1966) is an Italian professional racing driver and paracyclist. He won the CART championship in 1997 and 1998, and took 15 wins in the series. He also raced in Formula One from 1991 to 1994 and again in 1999; his best result was a sixth-place finish in the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix. He returned to CART in 2001, but a major crash in the 2001 American Memorial resulted in the amputation of his legs. He returned to racing less than two years after the accident, competing in the European Touring Car Championship in 2003–2004 and then in the World Touring Car Championship between 2005 and 2009; he scored four wins.
In addition to continuing to race cars, Zanardi took up competition in handcycling, a form of paralympic cycling, with the stated goal of representing Italy at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. In September 2011, Zanardi won his first senior international handcycling medal, the silver medal in the H4 category time trial at the UCI World Road Para-Cycling Championships. In September 2012 he won gold medals at the London Paralympics in the individual H4 time trial and the individual H4 road race, followed by a silver medal in the mixed H1-4 team relay, and in September 2016 he won a gold and a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.
On 19 June 2020, Zanardi was involved in a serious road accident while competing in the Obiettivo tricolore handcycling race,[1] near Siena. After being transferred to hospital, Zanardi underwent three hours of neurosurgery and maxillofacial surgery before being placed in a medically induced coma.[2]
- ^ Gittings, Paul (20 June 2020). "Sporting legend Alex Zanardi in a coma after horrific handbike crash in Italy". CNN. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (20 June 2020). "Alex Zanardi's doctor gives update on condition following surgery". Autosport. Retrieved 22 June 2020.