Back ages ago I was I participated in an athletic competition at school and won 2nd place on every event, but no 1st place. It was possibly the most frustrating event of my life up to then and some time after.
 
 
IN ANY EVENT, Fleetfoot is confirmed better than Spitfire in raw speed and did win that one Canterlot race…

@Background Pony #82C1  
While decorum should obviously always be striven for and things taken in perspective, things like this can be fury-inducing like few things ever are. Imagine devoting your entire life to being the absolute best at something, working to the absolute limit of your ability, making constant personal sacrifices… and then failing.
 
There was an ad campaign way back in the 90s, I think. It got pulled because it was viewed as unsportsmanlike. But the tag line was something like, “you don’t win silver. You lose gold.” It’s an extremely negative message, and is indeed pretty dang unsportsmanlike… but it’s one of those things where there’s a harsh grain of truth to it. Competitions can be fun and light-hearted only up to a certain point. Once it’s a thing you pour your whole life into… well, let’s just say nobody trains that hard to be runner-up.

And then after Dashie got 1st Fleetfoot smashed her bronze medal and alongside Spitfire smashed her silver medal

>:O AWWW, POOR WITTWE FWEETFOOT IS SO SAD! SHE DIDN’T GER HER WEE FIRST PWIZE! AND SHE BEAT UP HER STUPID SIWVER MEDAWS! MY GOODNESS, WHAT A FUCKING BABY!

And then Rainbow Dash comes along and the same thing happens to Spitfire (while poor Fleetfoot is now left with bronze).