Sofia Goggia, touching tribute to Alex Zanardi
Of the many personalities from the world of sports who have paid tribute to the great Alex Zanardi, a former pilot and Paralympic champion who died at the age of 59, one could not miss Sofia Goggia, who more than once in the past has participated in charity initiatives precisely with the sports icon.
The ski champion on her Instagram profile posted a video of Zanardi, immortalized as he uttered a phrase that has stuck with her: “Whatever may happen in life, it is important to be able to discover the positive side, to find that little bit of good that there is, in everything there is always good and bad: being able to find a little bit of good is a bit like finding the foothold to start building everything else.”
Words that have also inspired Azzurra during difficult times such as the serious injuries she has suffered in recent years. Goggia has often expressed deep admiration for Alex Zanardi, pointing to him as the ultimate example of resilience and optimism.
Mourning for Zanardi’s passing has crossed every discipline. Even the Football Federation, at the invitation of CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio, has ordered a minute’s silence before all weekend competitions, regardless of category. “The FIGC and President Gabriele Gravina join in the condolences for the passing away at the age of 59 of Alex Zanardi, inimitable sports champion,” reads the Federation’s official note. This is a significant gesture, considering that Zanardi, although not directly linked to the world of soccer, was a well-known Bologna fan, the team of his hometown.
Particularly touching was also the remembrance of Federciclismo, the sporting world that had seen him as an absolute protagonist in the last years of his competitive career. President Cordiano Dagnoni wanted to emphasize how Zanardi had been able to go far beyond the boundaries of sport: “Alex has been able to transform the culture of our country, he has given joy and happiness to the people who were lucky enough to know him and hope to so many people in Italy and around the world. I believe these are the most important achievements, even more than his many incredible sporting successes. Without him we are all a little more lonely. What remains is his smile, an imperishable legacy and a spur to never give up, to look at life with the eyes and joy of a child.”
To remember him with equally moving words was Dr. Claudio Costa, founder of the MotoGP Mobile Clinic and a longtime friend of Zanardi’s, who wrote on his Instagram profile, “Alessandro Zanardi left this earthly world to go racing in the prairies of heaven.” Costa recalled how, after the horrific 2001 crash at the Lausitzring, Zanardi had arrived at the hospital with such a serious medical condition that he seemed to be without a chance, only to amaze the world with his extraordinary willpower. “Today the inescapable victor reminded him of that,” the doctor concluded. “At these junctures in life I should say that I am torn by pain, but Alessandro, who with his friendship and sensitivity had redrawn the boundaries of my soul not only as a doctor but as a man, had given me the tools to be able to bear it: the dream that out of tragedy comes beauty.”
