RIO DE JANEIRO — Silver and bronze Olympic medals look much the same here at the Rio Olympics. Both are round and heavy and hung from a multi-colored ribbon that is placed ceremonially around an athlete’s neck. The silver medal is lighter in color and the bronze duller. They also share a common value: Neither is gold. They are medals awarded for not winning something. Along this scale, bronze and silver can represent towering success or gutting failure.
On Monday night at the Rio Olympic Stadium, where punishing daytime heat gave way to heavy winter rains, which in turn gave way to a cool, dark stillness, 30-year-old U.