Mario Cipollini underwent a second heart operation in a hospital in Ancona. According to the “Gazetta dello Sport”, the planned operation was carried out to check the effectiveness of the first one, which was performed in October last year. Among other things, the Italian had been given several stents.
Cipollini had collapsed in October after a court hearing – his former wife Sabrina Landucci accuses him of domestic violence. The reason for the heart problem is an anomaly of the coronary artery, which has caused the former world-class sprinter repeated problems since the end of his career.
As the 52-year-old Cipollini now told the “Gazzetta”, the recent intervention is not a cause for concern. Nevertheless, he announced that he would change his lifestyle in the future. “I felt vulnerable. But unlike people who are really sick, I have nothing. I must change my lifestyle, after all you only have one heart.”
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As Cipollini announced, he will now have to recover for another two weeks, after which he hopes to get back on his bike.