The auto racing world is mourning the loss of Alex Zanardi. The Italian Formula 1 driver, who later became a Paralympic champion after two life-altering accidents, has died, his family announced Saturday. He was 59.

The family confirmed that loved ones were with Zanardi when he died. “Alex died peacefully, surrounded by the affection of those closest to him,” the family said in a statement. A cause of death was not provided.

Zanardi’s family also said that it “Thanks everyone who is sharing their support right now and asks for respect during this time of mourning.”

Zanardi suffered serious injuries in a 2020 handbike accident, colliding with an oncoming truck during a relay event in Italy. He sustained facial and cranial trauma and was placed in a medically induced coma.

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Nearly two decades earlier, Zanardi lost both of his legs in an auto racing crash.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Zanardi in a post on X, saying in part, “Italy loses a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every challenge of life into a lesson in courage, strength, and dignity. Alex Zanardi knew how to bounce back every time, facing even the toughest challenges with determination, clarity, and a strength of spirit that was truly exceptional.”

Zanardi won back-to-back championships in CART in 1997 and 1998 in the U.S. He then briefly returned to F1.

He ultimately came back stateside, racing in Germany in a CART event in 2001 when both of his legs were severed in a horrific accident the weekend after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. CART raced only because the series was already in Germany at the time of the attacks and could not return to the U.S.

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Zanardi was left in a three-day coma following the 2001 crash.

During his recovery, Zanardi designed his own prosthetics and learned to walk again. He then turned his attention to hand cycling and developed into one of the sport’s most accomplished athletes in the world.

He won four gold medals and two silvers at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, competed in the New York City Marathon and set an Ironman record.

Zanardi used specially adapted cars with hand controls for gas and braking to take up racing again after the 2001 accident.

Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of F1, said he was “deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend,” calling Zanardi “truly an inspirational person, as a human and as an athlete.”

“He faced challenges that would have stopped anyone, yet he continued to look forward, always with a smile and a stubborn determination that inspired us all,” Domenicali added. “While his loss is profoundly felt, his legacy remains strong.”

After Zanardi’s 2020 crash, Pope Francis praised him as a symbol of strength in adversity and sent a handwritten letter offering encouragement and prayers.

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Before Saturday’s F1 sprint race in Miami Gardens, Florida, a moment of silence honored Zanardi. The Italian Olympic Committee also called for a minute of silence at sporting events across Italy.

Zanardi is survived by his wife, Daniela, and son, Niccolò.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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It was a brotherly battle at UCLA’s spring football game on a clear Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl.

At the helm of the opposing white and blue teams, respectively, quarterbacks Nico and Madden Iamaleava led the split halves of the Bruins squad during a well-attended end to the first spring camp under the direction of new coach Bob Chesney.

Fittingly, Madden tossed the go-ahead touchdown pass from near the logo to a wide-open Kenneth Moore III, putting his blue team up 24-17, the eventual final score.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him just play football,” Nico said of his brother. “So it was fun seeing him out there operate.”

Nico’s team, with play-calling help from Bruins women’s basketball coach Cori Close throughout the second half, got to fourth-and-goal situations twice as the game wound down. One ended in a missed field goal by Mateo Orosco, who had made a 57-yarder, and the other concluded with the blue team storming the field after a pass from quarterback Ty Dieffenbach was incomplete with 10 seconds left.

The addition of the guest play-callers, Close and women’s water polo coach Adam Wright, led to a variety of trick plays throughout the game. Multiple flea-flickers went for big yards, and offensive lineman Mike McDonald took a rushing attempt as a part of the fun atmosphere that Chesney said he wanted to foster at the game.

To come up with one of the plays, Chesney said, Close messaged Rams coach Sean McVay for advice.

“We put some of those plays in so that she would be able to execute what she wanted to. She just came up a little short and I think she did a really good job of motivating her team,” Chesney said of Close’s second-half calls. “Coach Wright just really dialed it in and was able to strike when he had to and put that game away.”

Just before Moore caught his first touchdown in a Bruins uniform, he was running another deep route when he ran into a referee, breaking up what may have been an explosive play.

“Why’d you let the referee cover you?” Chesney asked, posing as a reporter during Moore’s interview.

“That was great defense,” Moore said in response, sporting a smile. “He was so stealthy.”

It had been a few years since the Bruins held a traditional spring game at the Rose Bowl, with previous coaches favoring lower-profile practices that were dubbed spring showcases. This year’s game also comes after the Bruins in February announced that the iconic Pasadena stadium would remain their home, at least this year, amid ongoing litigation over the university’s right to potentially break its lease and play home games at SoFi Stadium.

UCLA receiver Landon Ellis catches a touchdown pass in front of Jhase McMillan (23) and Curtis Gerrand (35) during the spring game at the Rose Bowl Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Chesney said holding a traditional spring game was like a “practice run” for the upcoming season. Ahead of Saturday’s game, the Bruins stayed in a hotel together and had walk-throughs on the field as well as meetings and pretty much anything else they could do to simulate a game. Chesney and many players got their first look at the Rose Bowl lit up at night during a visit Friday.

“To get a chance to walk in here and just feel this and see all of these surroundings and the things that took place in this venue is pretty special,” Chesney said. “We addressed that a little bit last night as a team, and made sure we understand the respect that this place deserves and understand the attitude of gratitude that we should have for the ability to play here.”

Defensive back Cole Martin, a Pasadena native who was on the blue team, called this spring game “magnificent” when asked to compare it to last year’s spring football practice finale. He specifically noted playing at the Rose Bowl as a reason for the strong atmosphere and an important experience for new UCLA players.

“First time in the Rose Bowl, first touchdown as a college player, I mean, it’s awesome,” Martin said, looking at the freshman Moore. “It doesn’t get better than that.”

Walking by reporters during the game, Bob Stiles, who made a famous goal-line stop on a two-point conversion to seal UCLA’s upset win over Michigan State in the 1966 Rose Bowl, concurred. “This is fun,” Stiles said.

Running back Anthony Woods was a standout on the white team, scoring the first touchdown of the game on a six-yard run and going for multiple big gains early.

Receivers Mikey Matthews for white and Landon Ellis for blue scored the other two touchdowns on red zone crossing routes.

The other 10 points, besides the four touchdowns and field goal, were given out equally for victories in side competitions in between the first and second quarters and third and fourth quarters. Both were won by blue, aiding its seven-point win.

On defense, cornerback Osiris Gilbert broke up multiple passes and had a few hard hits, linebacker Samuel Omosigho earned a sack, and linebacker Malaki Soliai-Tui forced a fumble.

Chesney said he was happy with his team’s performance, noting penalties, like the various defensive pass interference calls, as a key area for improvement.

UCLA coach Bob Chesney pats running back Anthony Woods on the helmet during the team’s spring game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“It went well,” Chesney said. “I wouldn’t say unbelievable. I wouldn’t say terrible. Most of the time, it was somewhere in between.”

Both Nico Iamaleava, for the offense, and Martin, for the defense, said the units had things to work on, but they were proud of how much they improved during spring camp. With a bit of a break before preparation for the fall ramps up, Iamaleava’s message to the team was simple: “Stay together.”

Chesney echoed the sentiment, saying building on the intensity and development from the spring, rather than starting again during the summer, will be key to the Bruins succeeding during the season.

“We’re back, baby,” Chesney said to fans right before the fourth quarter began. “We’re back.”

Backs are against the wall. It is do or die. Win, or go home. Anything can happen. Whatever your favorite little saying is for a Game 7 applies here. The Philadelphia 76ers, a team that barely made it into the postseason, has pushed the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination. It is Game 7, so we have to bet on it; those are the rules.

Philadelphia has won two games in Boston already, and now they need to take three of four in the series in order to advance. In the last two games, the 76ers have looked great. They have held the Celtics to just 97 points in Game 5 and 93 points in Game 6.

In fact, in all three of their wins, the 76ers have held the Celtics to under 100 points. They aren’t exactly known for their defense, but it certainly looks like that’s where their success is this postseason.

On offense, the team looks very crisp. Tyrese Maxey has been able to get to his spots and has shot the ball very well this series. VJ Edgecombe has looked like a veteran instead of a rookie. Joel Embiid’s return has been a shot in the arm for the squad, and Paul George has been very effective.

I won’t say that Philadelphia has been overly great from deep, which is actually a very good indicator that they can win Game 7.

The Celtics, in the losses, have obviously shot poorly, but it is very surprising just how bad it has been. They only shot 29% from deep in Game 6, and their free throws were just 9-for-16. Jaylen Brown, usually very reliable, went just 2-for-6 from the charity stripe. Celtics starters combined to score just 46 points. The majority of these games have been very one-sided, with the winning team dominating. Only one game was decided by 10 points or fewer.

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Boston is one of those teams that tends to live and die by the three, and unfortunately for their fans, they’ve been dying the past two games. You would like to assume that returning home will give them a chance to get back to some familiar sight lines.

Additionally, it isn’t normal for the team to struggle like this for so long. The key to their success might not be Brown or Jayson Tatum, but may lie with Derrick White, who has underperformed in this series. He looked a bit better in the Game 6 loss, scoring 11 points, shooting 50% from deep, and recording three steals.

There are two pathways to this game, and I think the spread and total are extremely correlated in this game. First, for the 76ers to win the game, they will need to keep the Celtics’ scoring in check again. Holding Boston to under 100 points again seems like a big challenge. But, if this game goes under, the 76ers will cover the spread.

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If the game goes over, the Celtics will win, and I’m guessing it will be a blowout game. Boston has the capability of destroying teams. The Celtics have played in four Game 7s since 2022. They crushed the Bucks 109-81, beat the Heat 100-96, dominated the 76ers 112-88, and lost the most recent to the Heat in 2023, 103-84. The Celtics went 3-1 with two dominating wins.

The lone loss was ugly and at home to the Heat. It is hard to believe the Celtics will lose three of four at home, but the 76ers look great. I’m laying off the spread, but I think the Celtics cover. I also think this game goes over. 206.5 is too low of a total, and I expect at least one of these teams to get to 110 points.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024