The phrase "achieve second place" is grammatically correct and can be used in written English.
Example: Despite setbacks and tough competition, our team was able to achieve second place in the championship tournament.
Some pundits have suggested the home nation could even achieve third place.
Last year's winner, the University of Greenwich, improved its score from 2012, but this was only enough to achieve sixth place.
After winning a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, Sawyers went on to achieve eighth place in her first Olympics, in Brazil this summer – and four years ago she also won Britain's first medal for the bobsleigh at the Youth Winter Olympics.
And Jenkins says the pain of last Saturday's defeat will spur on the side to achieve third place.
In his final term at the school, however, he was still able to achieve fifth place in his class of thirty-one.
This, coupled with other players' absences, was partly responsible for a poor start to the season by Yorkshire, and although the team recovered, it could only achieve third place in the County Championship.
His best Formula One season came in 1958, when he was the fourth-placed driver, achieving second place in the German event and third in the British.
Five years earlier, she achieved second place at Eurovision with the vivacious and celebratory Hi (Alive).
**Mitt Romney Mark II ** The Mitt Romney Mark I made amazing strides in the field of Presidential politics (ultimately achieving second place before self-destructing).
Ukip was disappointed to win only one seat – Clacton – but it has taken heart from achieving second place in 120 seats.
