permutation of 8-man race

In how many ways can 8 athletes finish a race if three of the athletes are neck and neck at the finish line?

The answer is supposedly 3!x5! = 720, but I don't see how this can be correct.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by b55v

In how many ways can 8 athletes finish a race if three of the athletes are neck and neck at the finish line? The answer is supposedly 3!x5! = 720, but I don't see how this can be correct.

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I agree that this could be worded more clearly to insure that answer.
Let's change "if three of the athletes are neck and neck at the finish line"
to "given that a particular three athletes will finish in the top three".