Alex Zanardi: Racing Legend's Inspiring Journey

It's May 2, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Canada News Today, local news powered

by AI, Alex Zanardi, the Italian racing champ who became a Paralympic gold medal machine

has passed at 59.

His family dropped the news Saturday, saying he died Friday night, peaceful and surrounded

by his closest people.

No cause given, but this guy overcame two massive crashes that changed his life forever.

Two decades back in 2001, Zanardi lost both legs in the savage cart wreck in Germany right

after the September 11th attacks.

He woke from a coma, built custom prosthetics, joking he made himself taller, then switched

to hand cycling that led to four Paralympic golds, two silvers, and even an Ironman record.

Fast forward to 2020, his hand-biking in Tuscany, slams into a truck, gets brutal head

and face trauma, and lands in an induced coma.

Italy mourned early, with Prime Minister Georgia Maloney hailing him as a symbol of courage

who turned pain into hope and never quit strength.

Tributes keep rolling in from F1 Chief Stefano Domenicale, who called him an unstoppable force

with a killer smile and NASCAR's max-papus.

Remembering Zanardi's dark humor even in the hospital, the FIA praised his journey from

racer to Paralympic icon as pure grit.

Zanardi leaves his wife Daniella, son Nicola, and a legacy that screams resilience, reminding

us all that a solid push against the odds always pays off.