Italian lost his legs in a 2001 accident, reinvented his career in sport and won 4 Paralympic gold medals
Former racing driver and four-time Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi died on Friday (May 1, 2026) at the age of 59. The Italian’s family confirmed the information this Saturday (May 2, 2026), through the charitable association Objective3, founded by the athlete.
Born in Bologna, on October 23, 1966, Zanardi built a distinguished career in motorsport. He raced in Formula 1 for Jordan, Minardi and Lotus in the early 1990s. He then moved to Cart, in the United States, where he won the titles in 1997 and 1998. In 1999, he returned to F1 for Williams.
In 2001, he suffered a serious accident at the Lausitzring circuit, in Germany, when his car was hit at high speed after spinning on the track. Zanardi lost both legs but returned to the sport.
In his Paralympic career, he shone in adapted cycling. He won 4 gold medals, two at the 2012 London Games and another two at Rio 2016. In 2020, he suffered another serious accident when he collided with a truck during a handbike race in Tuscany.
Italian authorities paid tribute to the former athlete. A defined it as “great champion and extraordinary man”.
The Italian Cycling Federation announced 1 minute of silence at this weekend’s competitions.
