With the 2012 London Olympic Games just around the corner, we thought it the time was ripe to give you the lowdown on the 20 best Olympic athletes, officials and reporters to follow on Twitter.
Enjoy the list and get following!
1 – Stephanie Rice (@ItsStephRice)
Starting off with a bang here, with Aussie Golden Girl Stephanie Rice. Already a triple Olympic champion and crowd favourite, expect Ricey to be a star in the pool and on Twitter.
The Aussie bombshell is a fan favourite
2 – Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5)
The Durantula will be a monster for Team USA during the Olympics, just as he was for the Oklahoma City Thunder during the NBA season. Has featured on Sports Geek a number of times due to his work on social media, so expect more of the same here.
Basketball Superstar and Twitter Sensation. KD is the man.
3 – Yohan Blake (@YohanBlake)
The countrymen and biggest threat to speeder Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake has picked up 3,000 followers since defeating Bolt in the 100m and 200m earlier this month. Could be a good follow if he takes gold in London.
Usain's biggest competitor in London.
4 – London 2012 (@London2012)
Official accounts can be boring a lot of the time, but with so much action going on during the Games, London 2012 is definitely worth a follow, even if it's just to keep up with scheduling details.
Follow @London2012
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5 – Matthew Mitcham (@matthew_mitcham)
Took Australia by storm in 2008 with his Gold medal performance in diving, and is known as a cheeky character. Can expect some candid stuff from Mitcham this time around as he defends his crown.
6 – McKayla Maroney (@McKaylaMaroney)
If you love gymnastics (and Instagram, US gymnast McKayla Maroney is right up your alley.
7 – Joe Ingles (@Joeingles7)
One of Australia's best basketball exports, Joe Ingles will have a major say in how far the Boomers go at London 2012. With great experience as a back-to-back champion with current team Barcelona, Ingles is primed for a big tournament.
8 – Oscar Pistorius (@OscarPistorius)
The South African runner, Oscar Pistorius, is set to become the first amputee sprinter to compete in a Games. It's an unbelievable effort and a man this driven to succeed is definitely worth a quick follow.
The first double amputee in Olympic history.
9 – Asafa Powell (@officialasafa)
Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell was one of the most popular track athletes in the world before Usain Bolt's rapid ascension. In what will most likely be the last Olympics for the 29-year-old, Powell is going into the Games at less than 100% but hopes to go out a champion.
Asafa wants to go out with a bang in his last Games.
10 – Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps)
The man known as the Baltimore Bullet, Michael Phelps is looking to win 7 gold medals in the pool at London. At what will be his last Olympics, expect some great nostalgic tweets from the 14-time Olympic gold medalist.
Michael Phelps has the chance to win his 20th Olympic Gold Medal in London. Living legend.
11 – Usain Bolt (@usainbolt)
The world's fastest man hasn't seemed so invincible of late, but with virtually the whole world cheering him on to go back-to-back in the 100m and 200m sprints in London, Usain Bolt will again be a major Olympic drawcard. He's also very active on Instagram and tweets most of his shots.
The World's Fastest Man. Can lightning strike twice in the 100m?
12 – LeBron James (@KingJames)
The newly-crowned NBA Finals MVP, LeBron James is also the main man on Team USA as they strive to go back-to-back in the Men's basketball tournament. Like Usain, the King is also very active on Instagram so should provide some great shots of Team USA over the duration of the Olympics.
Hard to see LBJ not winning another Olympic gold here in London.
13 – Australian Olympic Committee (@AUSOlympicTeam)
This account is an all-inclusive news and current affairs look at the Australian Olympic Team. You won't get much controversial stuff from it, but with hundreds of athletes competing over the fortnight, it will be an essential follow to stay up to date with all the event news.
Aussie Aussie Aussie!
14 – Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl)
Grant Wahl is the premier writer of the round ball game for Sports Illustrated. With youngsters like Neymar, Lucas Moura, Hulk and Edinson Cavani on display, Wahl will keep you right up to date on who to watch in each game. A superb writer.
SI's resident soccer expert.
15 – Rebecca Adlington (@BeckAdlington)
We had to sneak an athlete from the host nation in here and, with a massive chance of a podium finish at the Games, British swimmer Rebecca Adlington fits that bill.
Britain's great hope in the pool.
16 – Connor Fields (@cfields)
BMX rider Connor Fields has signed off from Twitter until his race, but there's every chance the daredevil bike rider will have a bag of tricks for followers once his event wraps up.
The BMX Bandit
17 – Seb Coe (@sebcoe)
Seb Coe is the Chief of the London 2012 Organising Committee. He will be very active over the two week event and has all the inside knowledge on all things Olympics. Why wouldn't you follow him on Twitter during the event he planned?
Follow @sebcoe
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18 – Evan Morgenstein (@pmgsportsevan)
Evan Morgenstein is one of the premier sports agents in the world. With many of his clients competing at the Olympics, he has a vested interest in the Games and is a very active tweeter, so his account could be one of the stars of the Games.
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Follow @pmgsportsevan
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19 – Alan Abrahamson (@alanabrahamson)
Alan Abrahamson is a very well-known reporter in the US, and has a vast knowledge of all things Olympics. Expect him to break some big news on Twitter throughout the Games.
20 – Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch)
SI.com‘s Richard Deitsch has long been one of my favourite writers and rounds out our 20 best Twitter follows at the Olympics. For all the news and great opinion pieces on the Olympics, I suggest you follow him, too.
One of the great modern sports writers
So there you have it. 20 athletes, officials and reporters to follow on Twitter to keep you right up to date with all things Olympics. here's hoping you get some sort of sleep over the next two weeks!