Summer Games on Twitter: Users embrace 'DeBolt,' mock 'LochteGate'

CTV National News: Brazil's soccer gold Brazilians are celebrating their first-ever gold medal in soccer after defeating Germany in a shootout victory. Peter Akman in Rio.

The Summer Games in Rio have spawned a daily tide of hilarious, controversial and patriotic hashtags over the past two weeks, as viewers shared their anger and adulation about the Olympics on Twitter.

Canadians hailed medal-winning heroes like Penny Oleksiak, Rosie McLennan and Andre DeGrasse, while users from many different countries weighed in on a slew of bizarre and controversial incidents involving American athletes. Several athletes also catapulted to viral stardom over the course of the Games, through funny images, profanity-laced tirades and unfortunate stumbles.

Here are some of the major conversations that dominated social media through the better part of the 2016 Olympic Games.

Canadian women come up huge

As of Friday morning, female athletes have accounted for 14 of the 18 medals in Canada's haul from the Games, with swimmer Penny Oleksiak claiming the most individual medals overall. The 16-year-old snagged a gold, a silver and two bronze medals in the pool, drawing the praise of Canadians from all walks of life, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Drake.

Some even poked fun at her older brother, Jamie, who plays for the Dallas Stars of the NHL. Winter Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser tweeted at the elder Oleksiak, telling him that he'll now be known as "Penny's brother."

LochteGate

American Ryan Lochte became a target on social media after a bizarre story surfaced about an alleged robbery in Rio that police said never happened. The story emerged when Lochte's mother claimed he and three swim teammates had been robbed at gunpoint during a night out in Rio. However, the four swimmers gave conflicting accounts of the incident, prompting questions whether it even happened.

Brazilian police accused Lochte of lying about the incident, saying instead that the athletes had trashed a gas station and attempted to pay off the attendants to cover it up. Police released footage of the alleged vandalism, and a few days later – after returning to the U.S. – Lochte issued a statement. "I want to apologize for my behaviour last weekend – for not being more careful and candid about how I described the events," he said.

Twitter users mocked the swimmer's confusing version of events under the hashtags #LochteGate and #LochMess.

They were also quick to attack his apology, in which he wrote: "It's traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country."

'Unpatriotic' American gymnast

Twenty-year-old American gymnast Gabby Douglas faced a merciless barrage of attacks on social media over her hair, her facial expressions and her perceived lack of patriotism.

The uproar started when Douglas, standing on the podium to accept a gold medal, did not place her hand over her heart when "The Star Spangled Banner" was played. Her body language sparked the ire of some who accused her of not respecting her country.

Later, she was accused of pouting during teammate Simone Biles' gymnastics routine, based on her facial expression while sitting in the stands.

Several individuals also attacked Douglas over the way she tied her hair during her routines.

However, others were quick to come to her defence, with many comparing the uproar to the controversy surrounding Lochte.

blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">

*Gabby Douglas doesn't put hand over heart*

"Monster! She should smile!"

*Lochte destroys property, lies about mugging*

"Boys will be boys."

— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) August 18, 2016

De Grasse's 'bromance'

Twitter users went gaga for Canadian Andre De Grasse and Jamaican Usain Bolt on Wednesday night, after the two sprinters were photographed grinning at each other as they crossed the finish line in the 200-metre sprint semifinal. Most read the moment as the beginning of a "bromance" between the two runners, and the hashtag #DeBolt was born.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt smiles as he looks at Canada's Andre De Grasse, right, during the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, on Aug. 14, 2016. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

"Find someone who looks at you the way Andre De Grasse and Usain Bolt look at each other," wrote Twitter user Jessie-Ann.

Bolt won gold in the 200-metre final, while De Grasse claimed silver for Canada.