Overview
- His family said Friday, May 1 he died at 59, and Obiettivo3 confirmed the news Saturday as they asked for privacy on funeral plans.
- Italy’s Olympic committee ordered a minute of silence at all events this weekend, as leaders and athletes from Giorgia Meloni to Bebe Vio shared tributes.
- Zanardi raced in 44 Formula 1 Grands Prix after a 1991 debut and won back‑to‑back CART titles in 1997 and 1998.
- After a 2001 crash at Germany’s Lausitzring led to the amputation of both legs, he rebuilt his career in handcycling and won four golds and two silvers at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
- A 2020 handbike crash near Pienza caused severe head trauma and a long rehabilitation that ended with his return home in December 2021, and prosecutors later closed the inquiry without finding a causal link to the truck driver.