# An Olympic Silver Medal is not a win?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 20, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076 "2012-08-20T17:42:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/21 "2012-08-20T21:22:22Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > She’s also making it clear as to her expectations of herself. As others have pointed out, it’s almost worse to get the silver than the bronze because you LOST at the LAST STEP. True, the entire remainder of the field of N-2 competitors would presmably love to trade places with you, but that’s not how it feels for elite competitors who have devoted countless hours of training and practice to be in the position to win that final game, match or round… And then feel like they failed. > > If you look her up on Wikipedia, it notes that she’s won several European championships - gold medals - in equestrian, but was not able to compete in the 2004 or 2008 Olympics due to last minute training injuries to her horse. She’s now 31 years old so this past Olympics was nearing the end of her window as an athlete, and what’s more, were held in her home country. So for her to feel like she’s come up just short is triply galling. > > Also, mind your choice of words, **LavenderBlue**. IMHO she’s only “coming across as a bitch” (instead of just “sore loser”) if you think a keen sense of competition and drive to win is “unfeminine”. I mean, women should just be happy with what they get, right? (Not saying that that is what you meant, but that is definitely what it sounds like.) I thought she was being rude to a polite question and someone congratulating her for getting an olympic medal. If Michael Phelps had responded like that I’d call him a rude bastard. It has nothing all at all to with her sex. To imply that my choice of words was sexist is going out of your way to find offense where obviously none was intended. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/22 "2012-08-20T22:49:50Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Pssshh… > She didn’t win silver, > the horse did. Well, maybe we can say the combination of the two did. If nobody had been riding the horse, you think it would have performed all the jumps by itself? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/23 "2012-08-20T22:57:59Z")
The Sphinx: We’re number 1! All others are numbered 2 and greater. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/24 "2012-08-20T23:20:26Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I don’t think she’s coming off as a rude bitch. I think she’s just matter of fact. If you came second, you did not win. If you have a silver medal, you did not “win the event” (surpass all other contenders). But you did “win” (earn) a medal. By any reasonable measure, winning any Olympic medal is a titanic accomplishment. Competing in the Olympics _at all_ is a notable achievement. So yes, it is seriously rude to “correct” someone who is offering congratulations for a “win,” when they haven’t explicitly mischaracterized it. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/25 "2012-08-20T23:32:56Z")
As others have said, if she went out with a realistic expectation of gold and “only” got the silver, that’s not going to feel like a win. And while you might say you “won a silver medal”, you wouldn’t say you’ve “won at the Olympics” if you got a silver - you came second. The interviewer makes it sound like she said it in a pissy way but that’s second-hand. We can’t know whether, for example, she wanted to make sure she wasn’t being given credit for something she didn’t achieve - perhaps the writer mistook her for someone in the British equestrian team who did win a gold medal, and she wanted to make sure that person was recognised. > [@astorian](#): > > “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” - Ricky Bobby > > (rats- too slow. I knew SOMEONE would post that!) Don’t worry - you won the silver. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/26 "2012-08-20T23:33:13Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > She’s also making it clear as to her expectations of herself. As others have pointed out, it’s almost worse to get the silver than the bronze because you LOST at the LAST STEP. True, the entire remainder of the field of N-2 competitors would presmably love to trade places with you, but that’s not how it feels for elite competitors who have devoted countless hours of training and practice to be in the position to win that final game, match or round… And then feel like they failed. > > If you look her up on Wikipedia, it notes that she’s won several European championships - gold medals - in equestrian, but was not able to compete in the 2004 or 2008 Olympics due to last minute training injuries to her horse. She’s now 31 years old so this past Olympics was nearing the end of her window as an athlete, and what’s more, were held in her home country. So for her to feel like she’s come up just short is triply galling. > > Also, mind your choice of words, **LavenderBlue**. IMHO she’s only “coming across as a bitch” (instead of just “sore loser”) if you think a keen sense of competition and drive to win is “unfeminine”. I mean, women should just be happy with what they get, right? (Not saying that that is what you meant, but that is definitely what it sounds like.) 31 young for an Olympic equestrian. There are Olympic equestrians in their 60s and 70s. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/27 "2012-08-20T23:49:42Z")
Zara should be grateful that she didn’t fall on her ass like her mom did at Montreal 1976. Silver medal is nothing to act pissy about. Especially a couple weeks later. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/28 "2012-08-20T23:56:35Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > If you have a silver medal, you did not “win the event” (surpass all other contenders). But you did “win” (earn) a medal. > > By any reasonable measure, winning any Olympic medal is a titanic accomplishment. Competing in the Olympics _at all_ is a notable achievement. > > So yes, it is seriously rude to “correct” someone who is offering congratulations for a “win,” when they haven’t explicitly mischaracterized it. I think it’s seriously rude to congratulate someone for winning when they didn’t win. “A win” means first place, not second. If she were congratulated for winning a silver, then you’d have a point. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/29 "2012-08-21T01:00:03Z")
[Makayla is not impressed.](http://www.eonline.com/news/336748/u-s-gymnast-mckayla-maroney-internet-meme-impressed) ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/30 "2012-08-21T01:14:47Z")
She came off as a girl with poor sportsmanship, that’s for sure. The news media and PR firms say, “\_\_\_\_\_ won a silver medal…” or whatever. The reporter wasn’t out of line. The ‘winner’ of the sliver medal was. _Get your facts right_? What a brat. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/31 "2012-08-21T01:18:39Z")
Now that I think about it, she just sounds like a spoiled royal.\* Waah waaah. \*yeah, I know, just the granddaughter, but you know what I mean ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/32 "2012-08-21T09:43:32Z")
> [@Who\_me\_1](#): > > I think it’s seriously rude to congratulate someone for winning when they didn’t win. “A win” means first place, not second. If she were congratulated for winning a silver, then you’d have a point. Yes. Congratulating her for winning a silver medal = factually correct. Congratulating her for doing well in the Olympics = factually correct regardless of whether she thinks she should have done better. Congratulating her “for her Olympic win” = factually incorrect. Correcting the mistake = a Doper candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/33 "2012-08-21T10:38:49Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Sweet jumping jebus, who pissed in [Zara’s](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/9483469/Princess-Anne-is-ready-to-push-the-boat-out-on-500000-yacht.html) freaking wheaties? She takes after her mother and her grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/34 "2012-08-21T13:11:26Z")
The term ‘win’ has more than one meaning. To _win a contest/race/competition_ usually means to take first place, but in other contexts, it simply means to gain something, often through effort - and so there can be multiple winners. For example, a scholarship may comprise awards for more than one student - each one that qualifies has won a scholarship, a lottery may have multiple jackpot winners, and in the Olympics, one may win a bronze, silver or gold medal - only the gold medalist has won the event, but all three have won a medal. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/35 "2012-08-21T13:33:33Z")
I don’t think she’s being rude. I think she’s trying to ensure, the person who won the gold medal, gets their due. She may be more meticulous about it as a royal, not wanting her celebrity to obscure any of the limelight the gold medalist righteously earned. That’d be a fine line for anyone to walk, I should think. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/36 "2012-08-21T14:05:13Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > That’s especially the case for competitions which are decided by one side -against-the other games, as with most team sports and most combat sports. I remember years ago legendary Rugby League coach [Jack Gibson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Gibson_%28rugby_league%29) said of Grand Finals (the league equivalent to a Super Bowl), “If you win one you have the greatest few days of your life and then it’s over. If you lose one you are haunted by the memories for the rest of your life. I don’t know that it’s a fair deal.” ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/37 "2012-08-21T14:45:49Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I don’t think she’s being rude. I think she’s trying to ensure, the person who won the gold medal, gets their due. She may be more meticulous about it as a royal, not wanting her celebrity to obscure any of the limelight the gold medalist righteously earned. That’d be a fine line for anyone to walk, I should think. This is what I was trying to say in my post. You said it better, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/38 "2012-08-21T15:02:54Z")
> [@Who\_me\_1](#): > > I think it’s seriously rude to congratulate someone for winning when they didn’t win. “A win” means first place, not second. If she were congratulated for winning a silver, then you’d have a point. The exact description of the congratulations offered was, > [@](#): > > When I congratulated her on her Olympic win, she admonished me: “I did not win. I got silver. Get your facts right.” She added that she had still to celebrate the medal win. Let’s assume that even without exact quotations for all parts of the exchange, this is an accurate rendering. (That may not be the case, but that’s the text we have to work with.) Notice that Zara Phillips herself apparently refers to a _medal win_. She acknowledges, in the next breath, that the word “win” does not always refer strictly to first place. Given that this was an Olympic medal, I think Tim Walker was colloquially correct to refer to it as an _Olympic [medal] win_. So I stand by the reckoning that the form of her “correction” was inappropriate given that he made no explicit error in the description of the event for which he was offering congratulations. Anyway, “get your facts right” comes across as ungracious at best even if he _had_ made an explicit error. She did have a medal to be proud of, so the proper form of response would have been, “_thank you_, but I’m afraid it is only a silver medal; the overall winner was --.” ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/39 "2012-08-21T15:20:12Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I don’t know about anybody else, but a fucking SILVER MEDAL is winning. Yep. You beat everyone else that came in behind you. Looking at it in any other way is disrespectful to yourself and all the other competitors, and shows a really sorry sense of self-worth. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076/40 "2012-08-22T07:04:45Z")
As I once said to a friend who was very gloomy when Finland had finished second in ice hockey, “You have to admit that it is much more glorious to win the bronze medal, like Sweden did, than to lose the gold, like Finland did”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-olympic-silver-medal-is-not-a-win/632076.md?page=3)