Which Olympians gained the most Twitter followers in London?
Fourth-Place Medal ranks the seven Americans (and three international athletes) with the most followers on Twitter, then selected their best tweets from London.
A big Olympic thank you to Sports Business Daily for the numbers.
1. Michael Phelps -- 1,227,843 (935,636 followers gained since the Opening Ceremony)
When Phelps was making history in Beijing, Twitter was still in its infancy. He made up for lost followers in London, gaining more followers in the past two weeks than any American has in total.
Best tweet: Just got a pretty cool phone call on the way to the pool from Mr. President@BarackObama !!! #USA
[ Related: Michael Phelps will swim with sharks ]
Obama was the second-most powerful figure to tweet a U.S. swimmer during the Games (See Missy Franklin, below).
2. Ryan Lochte -- 897,783 (+754,109)
If you want updates on Young Jeezy and lots of tweets in your timeline featuring the word "jeah!," then Lochte is for you.
Best tweet: Chillin at the basketball game with @Ludacris and @conorjdwyer #Jeah pic.twitter.com/F7vLrIOj
I think he means Chris Bridges, star of "New Year's Eve."
3. Gabby Douglas -- 600,967 (+565,213)
Before the Games, Gabby had half as many followers as Puck Daddy. Sounds like someone made the most of their time in London, WYSHYNSKI.
Best tweet: "@NICKIMINAJ: *kisses to Gabby* what an amazing little firecracker. #USA #Olympics" Eeeekkk thank you!!! :))))
The rap star was one of many celebs to tweet Gabby during the Games. Oprah Winfrey, Octavia Spencer, Gabrielle Union, Ciara, Nicki Minaj, Timbaland, Mike Vick, Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci, Michael Phelps, Wes Welker, Lady Gaga, Pink, Kristi Yamaguchi, Carly Patterson and, most importantly, the star of "That's So Raven."
4. Jordyn Wieber -- 438,030 (+375,573)
London disappointments didn't diminish the follower count of the gymnastics star. On another note, I think I've been watching too many Ryan Seacrest segments.
Best tweet: Yesterday we met the Duchess, Kate Middleton! She was so nice and she told us she loved our leotards! http://instagr.am/p/N_u73yPVoN/
5. Aly Raisman -- 382,413 (+342,447)
The three-time medalist had an impressive 40,000 followers before the Olympics.
[ Related: Aly Raisman can't tell her gold medals apart ]
Best tweet: DELETED
6. Missy Franklin -- 341,067 (+258,725)
You'd think the Twitter account belonging to the bubbly 17-year-old would be filled with multiple exclamation points and LOLs. You find that more in Phelps' account.
Best tweet (in response to Justin Bieber saying he was a fan): I just DIED. Thank you!
Prediction: Franklin will have the most followers after the Rio 2016 Olympics.
7. McKayla Maroney -- 322,674 (+287,062)
International
1. Usain Bolt -- 1,174,411 (+540,319)
The track king is also the king of Twitter braggadocio. He makes Kanye West seem humble.
Best tweet: Thanks to all my real fans and people who believe in me. I am now a living legend that's for sure.
Following athletes on Twitter is probably the worst part of the medium (for me, at least). Bolt is one of the few must-follows.
2. Tom Daley -- 1,170,866 (+826,234)
Britain's favorite handsome diver
Worst tweet: After giving it my all...you get idiot's sending me this... RT@Rileyy_69: @TomDaley1994 you let your dad down i hope you know that
After Daley and his synchro diving partner failed to medal, the 19-year-old diver demonstrated the downsides of the medium when he retweeted a message from someone invoking the name of Daley's late father. Daley handled the situation with class and will surely have more supportive tweets if he comes through a medal in the platform finals on Saturday.
3. Jessica Ennis -- 602,247 (+388,837)
Heptathlon hero is already a crossover star in Great Britain.
Best tweet: Just met Ludacris on Beat TV what a lovely man! pic.twitter.com/sws6dwDR
The main takeaway from the London Olympics: People love Ludacris.
More London Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Video: Gymnastics' biggest winners and losers in 2012
• Video: Michael Phelps' philosophy on dating
• Photos: Crazy moves of rhythmic gymnasts