Considering its rarity and market value, I assume that "gold" and "silver" are suitable metals for the first and second place's medal. However, how come the "bronze" represents third place? Is it more prestigious than other metals, perhaps?

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Yes! It is. "Bronze" consists mostly of copper, and of out the three - gold, silver, and bronze - bronze is the least rare. But it is still rarer than other metals not used. Ex: I'm tired of getting bronze medals. One day I hope to get a gold medal! Ex: Gold is rarer than bronze, but bronze is rarer than iron.