Starting again after a tragedy, after an accident is not for everyone. There are those who can't move on and those who after ordeals and difficulties manage to be reborn and (flourish like never before) from the rubble of a shattered car. This is the story of Alex Zanardi, a man with a huge heart and immense class in sport as in life. Zanardi was born in Emilia Romagna, which has always been a land of engines. For many years Alex grew up with a passion for engines becoming a racing driver. His career as an "able-bodied" driver came to a definitive halt on 15 September 15 years ago following a terrifying accident in the Lausitzring GP in the CART championship.
After months of Zanardi rehabilitation, with the help of some leg prostheses and specially modified cars, Zanardi also manages to return to racing for a few years with good results even if now there is something else that fascinates him in the same way as motors: para-cycling. Alex Zanardi's third sporting life begins with his handbike career who collects medals and records but above all the sympathy and esteem of the public around the world for the determination shown in the years following his dramatic accident and for his ability to successfully reinvent his life despite his disability.
Zanardi's successes in the handbike are many and are constantly updated. After the double gold and silver at the London 2012 Paralympics, Alex repeated himself again in these days in Rio by winning the H5 category time trial and finishing second in the road race. All this at 50 years old. His tears of joy on the podium in Rio at the moment of Mameli's anthem are worth a thousand other successes. Simply: a total champion.
