Summer Olympics 2012: Best Athlete Tweets, Twitpics and Instagrams from Day 3

Another thrilling day in London left a variety of memories, heartbreaks and triumphs on Day 3.

The Olympic medal race is shaping up to be a battle between the United States and China, and Monday was a big day for the Chinese diving team.

Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan captured the men’s 10-meter synchronized platform gold, which prompted The FW to tweet out some of the sillier images of divers in the middle of their performance:

Aside from all of the social media controversies, one of the main stories of the London Games has been the empty seats. Buzzfeed provided some of the depressing images:

With the day off, LeBron James and his wife Savannah Brinson were all over London watching events. LeBron tweeted out his wife’s ridiculously-sized drink for the day:

He wasn’t the only U.S. basketball player enjoying the Olympics on his off day. Chris Paul was hanging out with Russell Westbrook at the warm-ups for the Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh match:

The beach volleyball duo ended up beating the Czech Republic for their 16th consecutive Olympic victory.

Meanwhile, Deron Williams was busy taking pictures of coach Mike Krzyzewski in awkward yoga poses:

It wasn’t all fun and games for American athletes.

Top swimmer Ryan Lochte finished fourth in the 200-meter freestyle, which is shocking considering he’s the defending world champion. He tweeted out his frustrations:

"

Not so happy about that swim tonight... you live and learn. Tomorrow I will be better

— Ryan Lochte (@ryanlochte) July 30, 2012"

While Lochte may be disappointed, 17-year-old Missy Franklin was feeling great after her Monday. The Colorado native captured the 100-meter backstroke gold medal and her excitement could be felt through a 140 character tweet:

"

I am so grateful for everything that has happened. God has blessed me with so much. Thank you so much for all the love and support!

— Missy Franklin (@FranklinMissy) July 30, 2012"

The two represent the wide range of emotions felt during the Olympics. This is the moment thousands of athletes have been waiting for, and Twitter is helping us get an idea of their raw emotions almost instantly.

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter.