Twitter love: Mrs. Obama offers congratulations to first US gold medalist Ryan Lochte...As head cheerleader for Team USA, First Lady Michelle Obama watched the talented US swimmers take on the world on Saturday at the 2012 London Olympiad, after spending her time on tea and tennis earlier in the day. Joined at the Aquatics Centre by Presidential Delegation member Summer Sanders, a two-time women's swimming Gold medalist in 1992, Mrs. Obama was on hand for the 400m individual medley as Team USA's 19-year-old Elizabeth Beisel of Rhode Island won the silver medal with a time of 4:31.27. (Above: Mrs. Obama waves an American flag; Sanders is beside her)
"So excited to be sharing swimming with @letsmove and the First Lady! Go #teamUSA!," Sanders wrote on her @SummerSanders Twitter account. "Just arrived at swimming w @SummerSanders_ ! Go #teamUSA!" was written on the @LetsMove Twitter account with the photo with Sanders, above.
Mrs. Obama watched as Beisel came in behind China's Ye Shiwen, who got the gold with a world record time of 4:28.43. Her teammate Li Xuanxu took the bronze with a time of 4:32.91. Another Team USA swimmer, Caitlin Leverenz, came in sixth at 4:35.49. The First Lady did poolside interviews during her outing with NBC, among other media outlets. (Beisel with her medal, above)Mrs. Obama later offe
red congratulations on Twitter for Team USA's Ryan Lochte (l), who trumped expected winner Michael Phelps of Team USA by more than 4 seconds to earn the first US Gold of the games, in the 400m individual medley."Congrats @RyanLochte on earning the 1st Gold medal for #TeamUSA in London! I’m so proud of you & of #TeamUSA! –mo," Mrs. Obama wrote on the @LetsMove account.
Lochte trains in Florida, and is 27 years old; he donned a diamond mouth grille while on the medal platform. Phelps, who is on track to be the top Olympic medalist of all time, placed fourth. Lochte was joined on the medal platform by Silver medalist Thiago Pereira of Brazil and Bronze medalist Kosuke Hagino of Japan.
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Related: The First Lady takes Let's Move! global with Olympic co-branding
*White House photos of First Lady; others courtesy USA Swimming
