On Thursday, 15 years to the day since Alex Zanardi lost both of his legs in the American Memorial 500 CART race in Germany, the Italian won silver in the hand cycling road race at the Paralympics.
A day previous, the former Formula One driver had won gold in the road time trial at the Games.
Eight years after his accident, Zanardi took up hand cycling - a sport in which he has since become world class. Four years ago in London, he won two golds.
On Channel 4's The Last Leg on Thursday, co-host Alex Brooker - who is himself disabled - spoke passionately about his respect for Zanardi.
The great thing about Alex Zanardi is that not only is he a world class hand cyclist but his attitude to disability is unlike anything I've ever heard before.
In his quotes afterwards he said 'Normally, I don't thank God for these types of things as I believe God has more important stuff to worry about but today is too much. I had to raise my eyes and thank him. I feel very lucky, my life is a never ending privilege.'
When you think about it, that is what these Games are about. I've been disabled all my life and I've complained about it when I wanted. I come on here and celebrate my disability and I'm confident. But I'll never fully be completely OK with it.
People at home will watch the Paralympic Games and are inspired by it. But as a disabled man, he inspires me.
I've overcome a lot of issues with my disabilities over the years and as I get into later life I've got new ones to come. I wonder about how I'm going to cope when I have a child; how I hold my child for the first time. These are things I think about and worry about.
To see someone like that talk the way he does, to me it means the world and it inspires me. It makes me proud to be disabled and that epitomises the Paralympic Games for me.
You can watch Brooker's tribute to Zanardi below.
