Topic
Competition
Championships, knockouts, and contests decided on the finest margins.
Tagged
Competition stories
Participant Questions Why Winning Competition Generated Complaints
A competitor remains confused several years after taking advantage of a late opportunity to win a championship, only to discover that a great many people had developed strong and lasting opinions about how it happened.
Competitor Insists Absorbing Sustained Punishment Was The Plan All Along
A competitor who spent several rounds being repeatedly struck by a stronger opponent has described the experience as a deliberate operating strategy, insisting the gradual depletion of his rival was the intended outcome throughout.
Clear Frontrunner Inexplicably Halts Within Sight Of Finish Line
A frontrunner with a commanding lead and a clear run to the line stopped a matter of strides from certain victory, prompting an opinion-desk inquiry into why success appears to be most fragile at the precise moment it is assured.
Island Clergy Defend Contest Entry Following Mixed Critical Reception
Two members of the clergy on a remote island have defended their entry to a pan-European song contest, describing a much-rehearsed ballad about a horse as original, heartfelt, and unfairly overshadowed by what they called a clerical error elsewhere.
Recruiter Defends Generous Incentives For Role With Notably High Attrition
A recruitment organiser has defended the unusually large completion bonus attached to a fixed-term competitive programme, arguing that the package fairly reflects the role's demands and its admittedly steep rate of departure.
Amateur Outfit Unseats Dominant Incumbent In Knockout Round
A part-time outfit with no track record has unexpectedly displaced a heavily favoured market leader in a single knockout round, an outcome analysts had assigned a probability indistinguishable from zero.
Host Formally Disputes Scores Awarded By Dinner Party Guests
A home cook has formally contested the marks awarded by fellow dinner-party guests, insisting a delayed menu and unset dessert were scored down out of personal resentment rather than culinary merit.
Driver Defends Halting Vehicle At Point That Blocked Rivals' Final Attempts
A driver insists that bringing his vehicle to a complete stop at a notably awkward point on a narrow street circuit was entirely unintentional, despite the manoeuvre conveniently preventing every rival from improving their times.
Competitor Files Complaint After Frozen Dessert Left To Thaw
A baking-competition contestant has lodged a formal complaint after a frozen dessert was removed from a shared freezer on a hot day and left on the bench, where it collapsed before judging.
Future Sector Leader Identified As Source Of Decisive Tie-Breaker Miss
A closely fought contest decided by a tie-breaker produced a wave of collective disappointment in one community, with the decisive miss later attributed to a participant who went on to hold a senior leadership role in the same field.
Host Body Concedes Series Of Rapid Setbacks At Its Own Flagship Event
An opinion-desk reflection on the afternoon a host organisation gave way repeatedly at its flagship event, conceding a sustained run of setbacks inside a few minutes, and what it appeared to do to the national mood.
Local Performer Stakes Soul In High-Risk Contract Against Better-Resourced Rival
A self-employed musician has defended entering a one-round performance contest in which the prize was a gold instrument and the personal collateral was, by his own account, his soul.
Competitor Defends Manual Method As Within Spirit Of Occasion
A competitor has defended advancing the ball into the goal using his hand, describing the undetected breach as consistent with the wider spirit of the occasion and noting that the officials present raised no objection at the time.
Underfunded Firm Finishes Top Of Sector Forecasters Had Written Off
A modestly-resourced organisation has finished top of its competitive sector for the season, despite being assigned odds of survival so long that one firm of professional forecasters reportedly paid out with a visible expression of regret.
Organisation Recovers Three-Point Deficit To Close Out Contract In Final Round
An organisation that entered the interval three goals adrift of a rival outfit has defended its conduct after recovering to draw level and securing the contract in a closing tie-breaker, describing the reversal as a routine exercise in crisis management.