Humans are the organism who crossed the finish line first... second place is just a few million years behind, and so on.

But this is only the "Earth Olympics".
As far as the "Galactic Olympics" go, I couldn't tell you what place we are currently in; could be first, could be next to last, who knows...

Perhaps it all boils down to which species are "environmentaly selected" as favorable for survival and which aren't (Darwin theory). Those that last long enough, will inevitably learn ways to manipulate their environment to suit their needs and in effect circumvent "selective evolution". Hence the battle of Survival vs. Extinction is fought on an intellectual front, and the balance of power is shifted in favor of the brain as opposed to the environment. Where once the organism adapted to the conditions of the ecosystem, the ecosystem is now adapted to suit the organism. Machines are crafted, cities are built, landscapes are transformed, entire mountians are moved and entire forrests fall... all to the command of the first organism who survives long enough to aquire the capability of "wondering why things are the way they are" (existance comprehension).