“Australian MotoGP Award”: Marc Marquez wins the sprint race... and Martin falls

Spaniard Marc Marquez (Ducati) topped the World Motorcycle Championship (MotoGP), after winning the speed race on Saturday at the Australian Grand Prix on the Phillip Island Circuit, taking advantage of the fall of his rival and compatriot Jorge Martin (Aprilia) in the middle of the race.

A day before the Australian Grand Prix, the last to be held on the famous Phillip Island circuit, Marquez now holds a 10-point lead over Martin, as he seeks to win his eighth title in the first category and the tenth in his career overall.

The accident forced Martin to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, after suffering a broken wrist, according to what the race organizers announced.

This injury constitutes a severe blow to Martin, whose chances of winning a second world title are diminishing.

Marc Marquez started from first place, but gave up the lead to Martin, fourth on the starting grid, on the third lap, before getting rid of his rival after the latter fell on the eighth lap.

Martin fell when he was occupying second place in the speed race during a direct struggle with Marquez for first place, as his bike slid into the gravel area after its speed at the corner was recorded at about 180 km/h.

The winner said: “I was aggressive, but he (Martin) was faster than me. I defended my position as much as possible and we (both) were walking to the limit.”

In the end, Marc Marquez crossed the finish line victorious after 13 laps, ahead of his brother Alex (Ducati-Grizzini) and Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati-VR46).

The condition of Bayern Munich coach, the Belgian Vincent Kompany, has stabilized after the sudden illness he suffered on Friday, after which he was transferred to one of the Munich clinics, according to what the club’s sporting director, Max Eberle, confirmed on Saturday, suggesting that he will be absent for “several weeks.”

“First, the good news is that he is stable,” Eberle said. He collapsed yesterday on the field, and is now in hospital; He will remain for a few more days, until the picture becomes completely clear, and all examinations, analyzes and monitoring are completed.”

He added: “First we have to know what happened, then how it happened, and then we will think calmly about what this means for the recovery period. For this reason, we will not currently specify any time frame at all, and we will not talk about days, but rather weeks. “This should be clear to all of us.”

Bayern's sporting director continued: "This proves once again that football is not the most important thing in life. It may be second or third in terms of importance, but the most important thing is health."

Last week, Kompany was infected with a virus that kept him away from his team for a few days, before he returned to the bench against Arsenal in the Champions League last Wednesday (2-2), and he admitted at the time that he did not listen to his body enough.

After the first team's training session in preparation for the match against Freiburg, on Friday afternoon, Kompany stayed behind to continue training the reserve team, which is supervised by former Brazilian international Dante.

During this, Kompany collapsed, before an ambulance transported him to a Munich clinic. He was admitted for “in-depth examinations,” according to what the Bavarian club announced in a statement on Friday evening.

Bayern will visit Freiburg on Sunday at the top of the German League. The Bavarian team leads the standings with 14 points, ahead of third-placed Freiburg, one point behind.

An absence that may extend for several weeks means that the team will miss its coach in a number of league matches, as well as in the upcoming confrontation against Spain’s Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on November 3.