Source- Medium
Often in this competitive world, in every field of life, someone wins the match while others often remain average and the sad part of the competition is that grades and ranks are valued more than achievements. In this valuation, it has been observed that often the 1st place and 3rd place are happier than the 2nd. It seems that no one cares about who comes in second place.
We all know that Neil Armstrong was the first to step on the surface of the moon, but not many people know who the second person was! However, studies show that silver medalists are often not as happy as gold and bronze medalists. This article presents you with some facts about Silver Medalist Syndrome related to the unhappiness and disappointment of being a silver medalist.
In the Olympics, people are proud of all 3 medalists. But for an athlete, this is a big deal after coming on the apex level of their game and falling short just by a few points for a gold medal. For the bronze winners, it feels like at least something is achieved instead of nothing, but for the silver winners falling short just by a few points hurts deeply.
Some Incidents of the Olympics
Source - The Indian Express
Above is a picture of the final moment of the 1500m race in the 1912 games in which Great Britain’s Arnold Jackson beat USA’s Abel Kiviat (third from left) by 0.1 seconds.
During a newspaper interview with Abel Kiviat, almost 70 years after the mid-distance American runner clinched a silver medal at the Stockholm Olympics of 1912, he described the race as a “nightmare”.
His silver medal had come after a photo-finish — a first in Olympic history — in which he had just got past fellow American Norman Taber in the 1500m race. “That race was the biggest disappointment of my life. I never saw Jackson,” he said while referring to Great Britain’s Arnold Jackson who had secured by the slimmest margin of 0.1 seconds. “I wake up sometimes and say, ‘What the heck happened to me?’” Kiviat said.
Source- Olympics
In another incident during the Tokyo Olympics 2021, the Indian wrestler, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, who recently bagged a Silver medal in men’s 57 kg freestyle, explained a similar disappointment after receiving the medal. In the interview after receiving the medal, he stated that it felt disappointing when he came so far away and got silver at the last moment.
Reason of Disappointment
Source- Istock
One of the reasons for disappointment according to research shows that silver medalists or people who achieve 2nd position often engage in counterfactual thinking about themselves. That is they often criticize themselves subconsciously about not pushing harder or being just short of a gold medal or the first ranker.
Counterfactual thinking is a tendency of a person to think about the alternative output that could have happened during that particular event. It is thinking about the past that should have happened but did not go as planned. Often, normal people and athletes have some expectations about certain work and desired results and when it doesn't happen, we begin to think about how it should have gone.
How to Deal with the Disappointment of Being a Silver Medalist
Source - Adolescent Counseling Services
Some of the techniques that will help to overcome silver medal syndrome in life and lift all the guilt and regret that is unduly stored in mind are:
1. Practicing Self-Compassion- Realise that not everyone in this world is perfect and everyone makes mistakes and has one or the other disappointment. It’s okay to feel disappointed when something that you desired for so long misses out on a tiny error. At that time, controlling emotions and keeping patience is always the key.
2. Letting It Go- Sometimes, some things are not meant to be, and holding on to its thought and dwelling on it hurts more. So, it’s better to accept and acknowledge the current situation, and let it go!
3. Keeping Your Mind Open for More Opportunities- Your capabilities are not limited to one goal. Your mind can heal itself and adapt to different challenges that come into your path. At such times when odds don’t turn in your favor, just sit back and observe from a third-person perspective about what else can be done to get more alternatives.
4. Changing the Story- Sometimes what is a nightmare for us can be changed if we all start to look at it from a different perspective. Let it flow and think about what you have already achieved and been satisfied with that achievement. It depends on the mindset that you choose at that moment to stay strong.
The Bottom Line
Source - Istock
Silver medal syndrome is the psychological phenomenon of being disappointed in a positive achievement because of messing up your dreamful desire by a tiny margin. It's always better to see the 99% that you did achieve instead of the 100% that you didn’t. Even some promotional soaps and cleaners miss by 1% in their cleanliness and still celebrate having 99% efficiency.
Written By - Prajwal Barate
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