Team medals for athletes who didn't compete in the final

[Annie]

Please forgive my ignorance if this is common knowledge. I have been wondering about why athletes who only compete in qualifications still get a medal at the team final. One example is Hezly in Paris, but I remember Stroescu getting a gold in Athens too, and many more before.

What's the logic behind it? Sure they helped the team qualify, but they weren't part of the team that actually won that night. Was this ever put into question?

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I'm not aware of it ever having been questioned. It's quite common in other sports too, both Olympic and otherwise. For example, in the FIFA world cup every squad member in the winning team gets a medal, whether they kicked a ball or not. All relay runners in athletics get a medal, not just those in the final. I think it's just, the team is the team.

The most famous example is probably Alicia Sacramone, who was injured out of 2011 worlds before the competition began and not replaced. So she has a gold medal accordingly.

 

[arabiandoublefront]

You get a medal if you compete during the heats of swimming and track and field, but not the final. It's because you helped your team on their path to a medal. I think it would be insanely cruel if you didn't get a medal just because you didn't compete in the final.

 

[irichluck21]

Athletes are still part of the team even if not used for team final because of the 5-3-3 (formerly 6-3-3) format in team finals.

Multiple athletes have won medals without competing in team finals.

Stroescu (ROU) 2004 gold
McCool (USA) 2004 silver
Kryuchkova (RUS) 2004 bronze
Peszek (USA) 2008 silver
Acatreni (ROU) 2008 bronze
Grigore (ROU) 2008 bronze
Rivera (USA) 2024 gold

Rivera is the only one to win a medal without competing in a team final since the Olympics changed from 6-5-4/6-3-3 to 5-4-3/5-3-3 because of one less athlete.

 

[Iminhanoi]

Athletes are still part of the team even if not used for team final because of the 5-3-3 (formerly 6-3-3) format in team finals.

Multiple athletes have won medals without competing in team finals.

Stroescu (ROU) 2004 gold
McCool (USA) 2004 silver
Kryuchkova (RUS) 2004 bronze
Peszek (USA) 2008 silver
Acatreni (ROU) 2008 bronze
Grigore (ROU) 2008 bronze
Rivera (USA) 2024 gold

Rivera is the only one to win a medal without competing in a team final since the Olympics changed from 6-5-4/6-3-3 to 5-4-3/5-3-3 because of one less athlete.

Silvia Stroescu made 3 routines in qualifications. Two of them counted (only four best scored routines counted).

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Teams in artistic gymnastics have quite a lot of leeway. They can use whoever they want, there's no obligation for everyone to participate or do so equally, and they aren't even obliged to put a full team out in the final if they don't want to. Obviously if you only compete 11 routines instead of 12 you're not going to medal in practice, but there's nothing in the rules to penalise teams who do that beyond the loss of a score, iyswim.

So giving everyone on the team a medal instead of there being more involved rules kind of fits within that general ethos.

 

[irichluck21]

Silvia Stroescu made 3 routines in qualifications. Two of them counted (only four best scored routines counted).

Yea. All of the athletes listed competed in qualifications. But not team finals.

 

[OnlyBeansOnToast]

At Rio, Australian track cyclist Callum Scotson took part in the semi-final of the team pursuit but not the final. After they lost the final to GB he headed off to the medal ceremony to collect his silver - but although he was entitled to a medal for being part of the team, the rules banned him from going on the podium (only the four who rode the final were allowed) and officials said he would just be handed the medal later. So that night Scotson's teammates arranged their own medal ceremony just for him, podium, flags and all.

 

[irichluck21]

Yeah it sucks for anyone that did the qualifying but not finals that they miss out on the podium and medal ceremony.

 

[Annie]

I get everybody's point and I'm happy for all these athletes. I'm not saying they don't deserve a medal but it still feels weird to me that an athlete is awarded for a performance that didn't take place on the night. It's like they are being awarded for getting selected to be part of the team that won. I wasn't aware this was a thing in sport in general, I thought it was just a gymnastics thing.

 

[irichluck21]

Relays have 4 legs so only 4 athletes.

Gymnastics teams have 5 athletes and finals are only 3 athletes up.

A relay is just one event. Gymnastics team competition is 4/6 events combined.

It is similar to soccer, volleyball, basketball, etc. Someone may be on the basketball team but not actually play. They still get a team medal.

 

[Big_rock_show]

But Start lists and routine order are all part of the team’s strategy. You can only put 3 people up on each apparatus, so by not competing Hezley was still a part of her team’s strategy to medal.

Should Simone’s gold count more than Jade’s since Simone performed more events during TF? One could make that argument, technically.

 

[arabiandoublefront]

Relays have 4 legs so only 4 athletes.

Gymnastics teams have 5 athletes and finals are only 3 athletes up.

A relay is just one event. Gymnastics team competition is 4/6 events combined.

It is similar to soccer, volleyball, basketball, etc. Someone may be on the basketball team but not actually play. They still get a team medal.

Yeah, usually sports like soccer and water polo have a replacement goalie who never actually plays.