in a 4 person race , medals are awarded to the fastest 3 runners . the first - place runner receives a gold medal , the second - place runner receives a silver medal , and the third - place runner receives a bronze medal . in the event of a tie , the tied runners receive the same color medal . ( for example , if there is a two - way tie for first - place , the top two runners receive gold medals , the next - fastest runner receives a silver medal , and no bronze medal is awarded ) . assuming that exactly 3 medals are awarded , and that the 3 medal winners stand together with their medals to form a victory circle , how many different victory circles are possible ?