Oh....so Secret Weapon.....what you are saying is...."oh we made it into the finals...now we can paddle at 70% for the whole race...because we're all winners".....my gawd....wake up buddy(non gender specific)...that's like saying to Felicida(hurdles sprinter) that because she made it to the finals she was a winner...so it didn't matter that she fell after the 2nd hurdle...she was a winner.
Yes, Guido, The Legend Killer agrees with you. If your goal is to cross the line 1st to be a winner, and you do, then you deserve to be called a winner. But, if you come in 2nd, and any place after that, then you should be called a loser. If we're going to be that litteral, then we should prepare to eat crow.
If a team's goal is to achieve the highest level of competition possible, and raise their personal bars, regardless of a medal, and they achieve it, that (according to Weapon) would make them winners, in their own right.
So, Guido, where do you fit in?