Is this commendable or just another example of eroding standards and expectations?

Recently a there was a story that has a soldier that struggled to meet an Army standard. The task did prove to be extremely difficult for that soldier and they overcome the challenge. With that being said this soldier has attained national media attention for meeting the standard. That is great for the soldier but at what cost?

Does anyone know who had the best ruck time? Did they get any attention? Was there a soldier that completed their tasks without any "No-Go's" or failures? In EIB we have a thing called "True Blue." This title is held for those that complete every event their first time successfully. They are mentioned at the pinning ceremony. Are the last few feet of the ruck march all that really counts?

In other events, as a race or game, have you ever seen anyone that completed the race get more attention than the one that won or the top athlete. MAJ Chrissy Cook was the commander for the best Bradly crew in her battalion. She was the “Top Gun” so she was recognized for that and rightfully so. I can’t recall anyone else getting recognized for just passing.
Were there other factors that led to his soldier getting so much attention? Was it just a feel good story? Were there not other soldiers that did the same and did they get as much attention from the media? Was anyone really concerned about what being an Expert Field Medic really is? If you view it as a regard for getting to your objective how useful would they have been as a medic or even safely handle their weapon without flagging others?

(On a side note 3 Air Force Combat Controllers saved the lives of 38 Army Special Forces and Afghan Soldiers. One will get the Air Force Cross, being second only to the MoH. Just in case you didn’t see this in the news. It seems to not be as important.)