silver medal
award
Quick Summary
A silver medal is an award given to the competitor who finishes in second place in a contest. In the modern Olympic Games, silver medals are primarily composed of 92.5 percent silver and are awarded to the second-place finisher, while the first-place winner receives a gold medal and the third-place winner receives a bronze medal. The tradition of awarding medals began with the modern Olympics in 1896, though initially, the winner received a silver medal and the second-place finisher a copper medal.123
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