[Grammar] The runner from the U.S. is currently in third place.

[kadioguy]

place n.

[count] : a particular position during or at the end of a race or competition — usually singular

The runner from the U.S. is currently in third place.
Their horse finished in last place.
The two teams are tied for second place.
“Who took first place?” “First place went to the red team.”

https://learnersdictionary.com/definition/place
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"Place" is countable and a singular noun here. Why isn't there "the" before the blue text? I assume that "first, second, third etc. place" is a fixed phrase, so it can be used without a determiner like "the". Is that reasonable?

 

[kadioguy]

Hi emsr2d2,

I noticed that you edited my post for "Removed unnecessary line breaks"; however, if you don't mind, I'd like to say that these line breaks are necessary for being more readable, especially on smartphones. Or you'll see this: (It's not easy to tell which is which now. So I'd say that I left these line breaks on purpose.)

 

[Tarheel]

The only thing I can think of is that "the" is not necessary there.

You know it's not used in those cases.

Do you like races?

 

[kadioguy]

Do you like races?

Yes, races are fun. I mean, watching others being in races are fun. :roll:

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, races are fun. I mean, watching runners run is fun. :roll:

I wish I was in such good shape as those athletes.