Tributes have poured in for Italian race car champion-turned-Paralympic gold medallist Alex Zanardi after he crashed his handbike into a truck during a race in Italy.
Key points:
- Alex Zanardi crashed his handbike in Italy on Friday during a race and is in a “serious but stable” condition
- Reports suggest Zanardi “made the mistake” and veered into an oncoming truck
- Zanardi lost both his legs in a CART crash in 2001 and became a four-time Paralympic gold medallist
Zanardi is in a medically induced coma and remains in serious condition after the crash, which happened near the Tuscan town of Pienza during the Obiettivo tricolore relay race on Friday.
The 53-year-old — who lost both of his legs in a motor racing crash nearly 20 years ago — underwent a three-hour operation for severe head injuries.
“The condition of Alex Zanardi is serious but stable,” Zanardi’s surgeon at the Santa M