In the run up to last night’s 100m final, pundits and athletes took to Twitter to predict whether @usainbolt could retain the title he won in such spectacular fashion in Beijing.
In the end it was a clear cut victory for the Jamaican, and Twitter timelines were flooded with praise for the man who calls himself ‘The most naturally gifted athlete the world has ever seen’.
We love this shot of him celebrating with the Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville:
This was a brilliant moment from just after the
#100mfinal - Usain Bolt and Wenlock!#London2012 twitter.com/tomboorman/sta…— Tom Boorman (@tomboorman) August 5, 2012
The 100m final drove more than 74,000 Tweets Per Minute yesterday, the highest peak since the Opening Ceremony:
New peak in
#Olympics conversation: 74k TPM about@usainbolt winning the 100m yesterday.— Twitter Comms (@twittercomms) August 6, 2012
The mood was infectious, and even the police were getting into the mood with this move, which was widely shared across Twitter:
@policefedchair@scotspolfed Police at#Olympics2012 pay tribute to Usain Bolt. Excellent approach & attitude. twitter.com/Ednie_G/status…— Graeme (@Ednie_G) August 5, 2012
And here’s BBC presenter Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) doing his best Bolt impression:
My own tribute… twitter.com/mrjakehumphrey…
— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) August 5, 2012
It wasn’t long before he shared this message with his followers, and we’re delighted to see that his victory has pushed him over the one million followers mark just this afternoon:
Thanks to all the fans for supporting and believing. You have been a part of the journey.. “To the World Me Say”
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) August 6, 2012
Aside from the 100m, there are many other great achievements going on at the Games. Sailing champion Ben Ainslie (@AinslieBen) became the most decorated Olympic sailor of all time as he won gold yesterday.
Sir Richard Branson (@RichardBranson) had this message to share:
Was a privilege to sail with
@ainslieben when trying to break transatlantic sailing record. Great to see him getting gold. Congratulations!— richardbranson (@richardbranson) August 5, 2012
Here at Twitter, we’re also big fans of gymnast Beth Tweddle (@bethtweddlenews). It’s partly because her name sounds like a combination of Twitter and medal, but also because she did a fantastic job today winning bronze in the Olympic bars event.
Teammate Jennifer Pinches (@jempin515) was very excited to see her teammate succeed:
She’s done it!!! She’s got an olympic medal!
@bethtweddlenews. We’re so proud of you!!!!!— Jennifer Pinches (@jempin515) August 6, 2012
If that wasn’t enough action for you, here are some great Twitter accounts to follow to keep on top of tomorrow’s activity: