Why was 3rd place in the women's 10k such a huge deal over 4th place?

runner85 wrote:

Is it just because of a medal around your neck? I'm assuming there is a money bonus from sponsors and usatf, but that couldn't have caused the emotion. To me third and fourth are similar in result, but it seems like everyone values a medal as the end all be all. I understand it was at the line loss, but it was for third place, not for winning the race. Basically, why is a bronze medal soooo much better than 4th place, especially in that close of a finish.

Because no one cares about the fourth place finisher. No fame, no glory. No one will remember that person's name or performance 2 years from now.

runner85 wrote:

Is it just because of a medal around your neck? I'm assuming there is a money bonus from sponsors and usatf, but that couldn't have caused the emotion. To me third and fourth are similar in result, but it seems like everyone values a medal as the end all be all. I understand it was at the line loss, but it was for third place, not for winning the race. Basically, why is a bronze medal soooo much better than 4th place, especially in that close of a finish.

Athletes who podium at World Champs see financial enrichment through endorsements and appearance fees. 4th place gets you a nice pat on the back. I am happy for Emily's success. Great person.

3rd is better than 4th.

4th is better than 5th.

8th is better than 9th.

108th is better than 109th.

The answer to this is obvious on 2 levels.

1. You never settle for anything less than your best in a race, this should not have to be explained. You fight for every spot you can on the big stage.

2. It was Infeld's biggest race of her career and gets her name out there on the world scene. It is a big deal for her.

For some athletes, 3rd would be an accomplishment. For others, it would be a disappointment. If David Rudisha got 3rd for example, it would be a disappointment.

Yeah, who cares about a stupid trinket from the world championships.

The important distinction at worlds and Olympics is podium vs not podium. Is it arbitrary that they drew that line at 3? Maybe, but that's where they drew it. This is a big part of sports. It helps create competitive tension.

Rockgip wrote:

Because no one cares about the fourth place finisher. No fame, no glory. No one will remember that person's name or performance 2 years from now.

Fame and glory for a bronze medallist? Yeah, right. No one remembers bronze medalists unless it is someone from their own country. I remember many American 4th place finishers as well (Teg, Pre, and Rupp immediately came to mind) and I won't be forgetting Huddle's 4th any time soon.

It matters because that is what medals. In my home state (MI), the top 30 medal at the State XC Championships. The 31st place kid is always devastated. Same idea.

This is such a stupid thread

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runner85 wrote:

Basically it just seems runners are very hung up on arbitrary things. I mean am I the only one who wouldn't really care if i ran 4:00.01 vs 3:59.99. They are basically the same thing.

Whoever said 99.9%? 3:59.99/4:00.01 is 99.99% (closer to 99.9916670%)

And he was talking about the 4:00 mile. It's appropriate to have different requirements for mile goals, and pacemaker installation success.

here's the thing: they announce in advance that there will be THREE medals, not four. Those who don't get top three know that they did not win a medal, which was the goal. Runners therefore try to win one of those three, preferably the gold one, but the rest of their lives most of them will still cherish the bronze or silver medal. Of course, nowadays there is always hope of being elevated from 4th to 3rd or higher with ex post facto drug suspensions.

runner85 wrote:

why is a bronze medal soooo much better than 4th place, especially in that close of a finish.

Here's a clue

You and EOtS. Ha!

Why even finish the race, if you're not going to win, amirite? Second place lost. Third place lost. Fourth...

One day you'll grow up and understand. Or one day you'll grow up like EOtS.

12 mins onwards. You will see what 3rd place and a medal means.