Michael East, the 1500 meters and the 2004 Olympics
Consider the case of Michael East. In Athens in 2004, he ran the 1500 meters in just over three and a half minutes (3:36.33). That's only about ten
seconds slower than the world record (3:26.00), so he's no ordinary jogger. Does he deserve recognition? Sure. He's clearly one of the best 1500 meter
runners in the world. How about an Olympic medal? Well, not this time around: He finished 6th, missing a bronze medal by all of 1.65 seconds. Just
over one and a half seconds in a three and half minute race. That's a 0.7627 percent difference, just one percentage point better and he's got a medal.
Can you imagine him walking up to the Olympic committee after the race and asking "Is there anything I can do to improve my finish?" "Would it be possible for
me to run the hurdles for extra credit?" "But it's less than a percent! And I worked really hard! Doesn't attendance count? It's just not fair! This isn't even my favorite race, and it's not going to have
anything to do with the rest of my life!"
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