Breathless, stunned and trying to make sense of it all, spectators who watched Usain Bolt win the Olympic men’s 100m final said seeing it live was a mind-blowing experience.
“It was really amazing to be there,” said Alex, an 18-year-old consultant as he left the Olympic Stadium.
“The sensation when the crowd all went quiet before the start was amazing. I was nervous just watching it. Tingles down the spine. My hair was standing on end. It was unlike anything else.
“I’m a Londoner, it’s great to have the Olympics here. It feels like we’re hosting the best party in the world,” he said.
Paul Parisi, 25, a broker from New Jersey wearing the stars and stripes, said: “It was awesome. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“I was right by the start line. I’ve never been more excited. All the energy from everybody, you could really feel it. Absolutely incredible.”
Jamaican sprinter Rosemarie Whyte, who earlier finished eighth in the Olympic women’s 400m final, was thrilled by her training partner Bolt winning gold and compatriot Yohan Blake taking the silver.
“At the start we were all nervous but we got a one-two in the hundred. It’s awesome. Great!” she said.
Nadine Reid, 34, from Birmingham in central England, had painted Jamaican flags on her cheeks and wore blown-up lightning bolts round her neck.
“I feel proud as a British Jamaican, I feel elated. I could fly like a lightning bolt myself!” the make-up artist said.
“I think my heart actually stopped beating.”
Onika Russell, 35, a manager from London with Jamaican parents, sent her beer flying.
“I spilled it all over me, all over the camera and the people in front but they were gracious. They knew it was coming!,” she said.
“The silence in the blocks to the deafening roar when it goes, it was immense.”
Darel Seow, 23, a student from Singapore, said: “It was just so crazy. Everyone was on their feet shouting and screaming.
“When I get home I’m going to lie down on the bed and think ‘I can’t believe this happened’.
“This is one of the events I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”