My Sportsman: Alex Zanardi

I have no pull at Sports Illustrated with their Sportsman of the Year, nor do I thing they would listen to a simple Blogger but I think one deserves the respect of a great sportsman.

Alex Zanardi's story is very well known but race fans, after a minimal success in Europe, he came to the United States and CART where he won two championships in his first three season. He returned to Formula One for one season with no luck. He would return to CART where his results did not match what he had done in his first stint in the series but he was in position to win at EuroSpeedway in Germany. With 13 laps remaining, Zanardi spun coming out of the pits into the path of Alex Tagliani. The accident cost Zanardi his legs, but not his career or ambition.

With the help of hand controls, he would return to finish those 13 laps in 2003, where he was fast enough for fifth on the grid for the 2003 race. But those 13 laps were not the end of his career. He would go on to drive for BMW in the World Touring Car Championships. In his first season he won a race and scored another podium. Over the course of four season in the WTCC, Zanardi won four races, one pole position and ten podiums.

Zanardi picked up hand cycling. In 2007 he finished fourth in the New York City Marathon but he was not going to stop there. His goal: The 2012 Paralympic Games in London. During his training for London, he won marathons in Venice, Rome and New York. He would make the 2012 Paralympics. All events took place on the famed Brand Hatch circuit, a place Zanardi raced in lower Formula racing series. In his first race he would the time trial by over 27 seconds. His second race was the road race where a late surge gave him the victory by one second. In the team relay, Zanardi and his Italian teammates, Vittorio Podesta and Francesca Fenocchio, finished second to the American team.

Zanardi not only represents a two sport athlete who succeeded on many levels, he represents determination and the life lesson of never to give up, no matter what. He may have lost his legs but never lost his spirit or will to compete. You would think, what else does Zanardi have to do after his London success? The answer may belong in auto racing. Zanardi wants to comeback. He has stated interest in the 24 Hours of Daytona, tested a BMW for the DTM and has interest in the Indianapolis 500 with his former teammate Jimmy Vasser and former team owner Chip Ganassi first in line to help out.

Zanardi may have accomplished a lot but he is not done yet.