A simpified but realistic example:
Three athlete compete in the 100 m dash, the shot put and
the long jump. Shown are their results, and also the means and
standard deviations over many competitions. Who should get
the gold medal, and which one performance stands out as the
best in the competition?
Competitor
100 m
Shot Put Long Jump
A
10.1 sec.
66’
26’
B
9.9 sec.
60’
27’
C
10.3 sec.
63’
27’ 3”
Mean
10.0 sec.
60’
26’
SD
0.2 sec.
3’
6”
11