also-ran
/ˈɔːlsəʊræn/noun
1- a loser in a race or contest, especially by a large margin（尤指在赛跑或比赛中相差甚远的）落选者。
1.1
- an undistinguished or unsuccessful person or thing庸才, 平庸之人（或物）。
词源
late 19th cent.: originally applied to racehorses that did not finish in the first three.