In the 10DANCE movie, Suzuki already calls Sugiki a world champion, only for Sugiki to correct him by saying he comes second in world championships, and Suzuki responded saying that international championships are rigged against Asians, which Sugiki denies.
This plays a continuous significance in understanding the systemic racism behind those championships. I read on twitter fan accounts that it is much easier for Sugiki to deny that racism is involved in him coming second in favour to Giulio, saying that he wasn't good enough hence he comes second, saying that the audience votes says that as well if i remember correctly, and hence he has to try harder.
However, Suzuki, in the movie, doesn't care about coming #1 in the world championships even in his debut. Before training with Sugiki, he never considered even attempting to apply for world championships since they're rigged against Asians. In the manga, his father, also a professional dancer, discourages him from entering world championships and wanted him to shine in Japan. If we see the movie, though a lot of the behind-the-scenes aren't there, there is no scene of Suzuki trying harder to come first. That never faded his love for dance.
One of the journalists in the movie at the end even said that Suzuki would come third at best because they don't want to exactly waste the money spent on getting foreign competitors. And he indeed did come third.
In the end of the movie, after Sugiki invites him to dance with him, as he holds hands with Sugiki and walks on the stage, he gracefully throws away his third-place medal. The lower you're placed, the more underestimated you are, and by throwing away the medal, he rejected people underestimating him, and also rejected the impact it may have on his love for dance.
Martha pointed out to Sugiki that she doesn't see any love in the way he dances. Sugiki is also as passionate about dance as Suzuki if not more, but his thirst to come #1, even if it meant making Fusako dance while she was in post-traumatic stress, and his focus on precision and stamina, overran his love for dance, hence it felt incomplete. In the end of the movie, he wasn't competing, rather he was the guest performer, and also dancing with Suzuki, with whom he had a special connection with as he danced with him. They haven't even seen each other in 6-ish months, forget about rehearsing together! Yet they were perfectly in sync with each other. It restored Sugiki's love for dance the way he restored his passion for dancing while seeing Suzuki dance for the first time.