Years of work, a life of sacrifices, and at the end of this long road, a medal that depends on a few hundredths of a second, a handful of millimeters or a decision by the referee: this is what the athletes who participate in the Olympic Games experience, the 2024 edition of which ends on Sunday August 11. But is there anything worse than finishing at the foot of the podium, in a fourth position often described as that of the “chocolate medal”or even like “the idiot’s place”?
The Guardian interviewed five athletes who have finished in this position to find out how this position is experienced. It starts with Brazilian swimmer Bruno Fratus, 35, who finished fourth in the 50-meter freestyle in London in 2012. He talks about a “situation of frustration and disappointment” and says he continued his career with “the feeling of crossing this very dark valley trying to see the light”.
For him, there was light at the end of the tunnel, as he ended up winning bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. “It was like coming home after a long day at work, wearing tight shoes and finally being barefoot: the greatest feeling of relief ever”he describes about this third place synonymous with the podium.
“That’s the problem with the Olympics, summarizes the Brazilian. What is the line between failure and success? For me, it was two hundredths of a second. This is why it is so important to talk about the mental health of athletes. I think that if this subject had been common fifteen years ago, this fourth place would not have been so painful. For some disappointed athletes, psychological support would therefore not be too much trouble.
Disappeared test
Fourth in Beijing (2008) in the individual pursuit, cyclist Alison Shanks did not even expect to have to compete for a medal with the favorites in her category: “I had only been doing track cycling for two and a half years. I entered the Olympics ranked ninth in the world, I competed in the first two events, and suddenly I found myself in this medal race.”
The New Zealand sportswoman has a very difficult time the night before the final, during which the idea of the medal obsesses her. “I think the notion of a medal potentially got the better of me. I probably didn’t really believe I was good enough to win, because the path had been so fast. But I thought, ‘Oh my God, the Olympic podium.’” At the finish line, fourth place awaits her, with a new personal best at stake that should leave her with no regrets: she has already done better than ever.
This is actually what happens: “In the days that followed, I felt satisfied with my performance: I had achieved a personal best and surpassed my ranking.” She used this positive energy to win the world title in 2009 and began to dream of winning gold at the London Olympics in 2012, but her hopes were quickly trampled: the individual pursuit event was removed from the program. Frustration.
“In New Zealand I became known as ‘the girl whose Olympics event was taken away’. It made me realize that these opportunities only come once in a lifetime and that you have to seize the moment.” Even today, Alison Shanks says she continues to feel disappointed when she thinks back to the Beijing Olympics, while being aware that the step was too high: “Looking back, I don’t think I was ready to medal.”
The temptation of fire
This big gap between regrets and realism, between the sadness of missing the medal and the joy of having still accomplished something great, also corresponds to what Adam Burgess describes, fourth in canoe-kayak slalom (C1) at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The Briton, who won silver in 2024 behind Frenchman Nicolas Gestin, describes a sensation “bittersweet” due to missing the podium by sixteen hundredths of a second.
After his race, he obtained a diploma “sophisticated” upon returning to the Olympic Village. He remembers her reaction: “Great, thank you. Do I frame it or do I burn it?” Ultimately, Burgess opts for the first option, giving this souvenir to his mother. “When I saw it about a month later on the living room wall, that’s when I felt proud.”
For his part, Belgian triathlete Marten Van Riel, 31, is digesting the fact that he will probably never be an Olympic medalist: sixth in Rio in 2016, fourth in Tokyo, he finished twenty-second during the Paris Olympics event. His objective was quite different: “The only thing I wanted was a medal. Throughout the last three years, all the races, I have done them with this single objective in mind.
The runner insists on the fact that in “small” disciplines, only the Olympic Games really count, and that coming back empty-handed can be all the more difficult to live with. He says he “felt a little lost” at the Olympic Village: “There’s really no one who cares about you, or who will come and talk about how you feel.” The organization of the 2028 Games, which will be held in Los Angeles, should do something on this point.
As for Slovak canoeist Zuzana Paňková, who came fourth at the Paris Olympics at the age of 19, she is extremely philosophical: “Three girls were faster, and that’s a fact.” The sportswoman gave everything to have no regrets: “I knew I couldn’t have done better, and that helps. (…) It’s better than sixth or eighth place, or even than not being in the final at all.”
Proof that the Olympic village stage is significant for the vast majority of athletes, the canoe-slalom specialist also talks about this place: “I felt so much pressure! (…) When I arrived in the village, I realized that there were 10,000 people going through the same thing.” Proud of this “incredible experience”she says she already has the Los Angeles Olympics in mind (that’s the advantage of being 19): “There’s always that little thought: ‘I’ll get it next time.’”
