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 z different victory circles are possible ?	Choose the correct option:
A) 24 B) 52 C) 96 D) 144 E) 648

Rationale: possible scenarios are : 1 . gold / silver / bronze / no medal ( no ties ) - 4 ! = 24 ; 2 . gold / gold / silver / no medal - 4 ! / 2 ! = 12 ; 3 . gold / silver / silver / no medal - 4 ! / 2 ! = 12 ; 4 . gold / gold / gold / no medal - 4 ! / 3 ! = 4 . total z : 24 + 12 + 12 + 4 = 52 answer : b .
Answer: B