Optic nerve paralyzed after fall
MotoGP superstar Marquez trembles for career
03/22/2022, 5:55 p.m
His Honda turns sideways, Marc Marquez immediately loses control, is thrown off the machine and hits the asphalt hard. Once again, the six-time MotoGP World Champion falls heavily. And this time, the consequences could be dramatic.
After his serious fall before the Indonesian Grand Prix, six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez is suffering from double vision for the third time and has to worry more than ever about the continuation of his career. According to the Honda factory team, the problems began on the return trip home. An examination in Madrid found that the diplopia is caused by renewed paralysis of the fourth right optic nerve. “It was initially decided to pursue conservative treatment with regular medical tests,” said Marquez’s ophthalmologist Bernardo Sanchez Dalmau.
“Thankfully it’s not as bad as it was late last year, but for now it’s time to rest and see how it goes,” Marquez wrote on Twitter. The Spaniard is set to undergo another check-up next week. Then the doctors want to evaluate the development and make a forecast for the estimated downtime. “No, not again,” wrote Honda test driver Stefan Bradl on Twitter, wishing Marquez a “speedy recovery” and “only the best, buddy.”
The eight-time motorcycle world champion had a bad fall during warm-up on the new Pertamina Mandalika Circuit on Sunday, suffered a concussion and was ultimately banned from the start. “It was a really bad fall, maybe one of the worst I’ve ever had,” said the 29-year-old. The former dominator just doesn’t manage to dose the risk anymore. On Friday he had already fallen in practice, twice in qualifying on Saturday, and on the day of the race he undertook the so-called “highsider”.
Already at the end of last season, Marquez had suffered from double vision after a training fall with a cross machine and had dropped out. A career end was briefly in the room at the time. The problem first appeared after a crash in the 2011 season.