Alex Zanardi

Related Images

Alex Zanardi created the image of the London 2012 Games after winning double gold at London 2012. © • Getty Images Italy's Alex Zanardi in action on his way to winning gold at London 2012 in the men's individual time trial H4. © • Getty Images Alex Zanardi knows the Brands Hatch circuit well, as a former motor racer © • London 2012 Alessandro Zanardi of Italy competes in the Men's Individual H4 Time Trial at the London 2012 Paralympic Games © • Getty Images Alex Zanardi was part of the very successful Team Italy at the 2015 UCI Road Para-Cycling World Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland. © • Jean-Baptiste Benavent Ernst Van Dyk RSA (left) competes in the Men's Cycling Road Race H5 at Pontal ahead of Alfredo De Los Santos USA and Alessandro Zanardi ITA (centre). © • Thomas Lovelock for OIS/IOC At the London 2012 Paralympics, Italy's Alex Zanardi won gold in the men's H4 road race and time trial events, and silver in the mixed H1-4 team relay. © • Getty Images

Related Videos

No. 1 Moment of Year: Alex Zanardi winning at Brands Hatch

Related News

Sarah Storey and Alex Zanardi clinch cycling golds

Cycling: Five things we learned from Rio 2016

Ten European athletes who stood out at Rio 2016

Van Dyk retires from cycling after winning gold

Related Features

Zanardi: I’m ageing like Italian wine

No. 1: Alex Zanardi wins hearts in pole position

Having made a name for himself as a Paralympian at London 2012, former Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi was back on the medal trail at Rio 2016.

At Latin America’s first Paralympics, he won gold in the time trial H5 just ahead of Australia’s Stuart Tripp and was part of the Italian team that topped the podium in the mixed relay H2-5 event.

He also won silver in the road race H5, an event that saw the top three finishers all finish with the same time. South Africa’s Ernst van Dyk was awarded the photo finish with the Netherlands’ Jetze Plat third.

Zanardi first emerged on the handcycling scene in 2011 when he won silver in the time trial at the UCI Para Cycling Road World Championships.

At London 2012, the Italian created one of the images of the Paralympic Games by lifting his handcycle above his head at the Brands Hatch race circuit after he had captured Paralympic gold in the individual time trial H4. He went on to win gold in the individual road race H4 and silver in the mixed relay team H1-4. His performances in London won him the Best Male award at the 2013 Paralympic Sport and Media Awards.

His form continued in 2013 winning world titles in both the road race and time trial events at the UCI Para cycling Road World Championships in Baie Comeau, Canada. He also won five World Cup events in 2013.

In 2014 he retained his road time trial world title in Greenville, USA, and took three UCI World Cup wins. He could only manage world silver in the road race behind South Africa’s Ernst van Dyk.

Despite the growing rivalry with van Dyk and the Netherlands’ Tim de Vries, Zanardi was again double world champion in 2015 taking gold in both the time trial and road race events in Nottwil, Switzerland. On home soil at the UCI World Cup in Maniago he also won time trial gold and road race silver.

As a racing driver, Zanardi won Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) titles in 1997 and 1998 before signing a three-year contract as a Formula 1 driver.

In 2001 he was involved in a 200mph crash in the American Memorial 500 CART race in Germany, an accident that destroyed his vehicle and saw him lose both his legs, as well as nearly taking his life.

Impressively, Zanardi returned to car racing less than two years after the accident, competing for BMW Team Italy-Spain in the FIA World Touring Car Championship from 2003-2009. His vehicle possessed a custom brake pedal that worked in concert with Zanardi’s prosthetic leg. He earned four wins during his time on the tour.

It was following his retirement from car racing that Zanardi transitioned to handcycling.