Speaking about her expectations of the future, Daniela said: “It is certainly another huge challenge. It is a very long journey and at the moment no predictions are made on when he will be able to return home. We put all our energy in Alex’s recovery.”
In 2001, Zanardi lost both of his legs in a ChampCar crash at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, 13 laps from the end of the race.
Twenty months later, he returned to the track to complete the 13 laps and went on to race in the European Touring Car Championship.
He won two gold handcycling medals at Brands Hatch in the London 2012 Olympic Games, plus a further two gold medals in Rio four years later.
He had been hoping to compete at the Tokyo Paralympics when he entered a national road race in Italy last year, but collided with a lorry during a descent.
For the second time in his sporting career, he was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Zanardi won time-trial gold at Brands Hatch in the 2012 Paralympics, as well as gold in the road race
DPPI
“I would like to tell all those people who are thinking of and praying for Alex that he is fighting – as he always has done,” said Daniela.
“One year after the accident, Alex’s condition is essentially stable. He is currently in a special clinic, where he is undergoing a rehabilitation programme. This includes multimodal and pharmacological stimulations under the guidance of doctors, physiotherapists, neuropsychologists and speech therapists to try to facilitate his recovery.
“We have received so many best wishes for his recovery, and I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you, on behalf of Alex, for every single message.
“The affection we have received from friends, fans, acquaintances, athletes and those involved in motorsport over the past year has been nothing short of touching and overwhelming and has been of enormous support for us in dealing with all this. However, a very special thank you goes to the medical personnel.”