Today, twenty years after his legendary move on Bryan Herta at Laguna Seca, and fifteen after the infamous accident in Germany, Zanardi claimed his third Olympic gold when he beat Australia’s Stuart Tripp by 2.74s, despite being 10s down at the halfway point of the 20km H5 Time Trial.
Advertisement
Former CART champion Alex Zanardi has successfully defended the first of his two Paralympic gold medals, taking victory in the hand cycling time trial road race in Rio.
He had both legs amputated above the knee, with his heart stopping seven times as he lost all but a litre of the blood in his body, after the horrific crash at the Lausitzring in Germany on September 15, 2001. Zanardi needed to have both of his legs amputated as a result of the crash.
“When it was announced that the Olympic Stadium was going to be built there I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve always loved that place and been super fast there, ‘” Zanardi said. The Italian won two in London in 2012. I had to raise my eyes and thank him.
It is just the latest in a string of remarkable performances by Zanardi in the years after his injury, the Italian winning races in the World Touring Car Championship, as well as numerous world championships and marathon titles.
“Normally I don’t thank God for these type of things as I believe God has more important stuff to worry about”, he told NBC television.
Advertisement
“At the time I was asked if I would ever step back in a race vehicle, but what was very important for me was to go into the bathroom and pee on my own, but I could not do that”.
