Winter Olympics: Fans and celebrities congratulate Shaun White

Shaun White was overcome with emotion following the dramatic final

You know you've smashed it when you get compared to Michael Phelps.

And what's better than being compared to one of the greatest athletes of all time? Getting a congratulatory tweet off the man himself, of course.

In the early hours of the morning, American snowboarder Shaun White went for gold in the men's halfpipe final.

Securing first place would have taken Team USA's total gold medal tally at the Winter Olympics up to an impressive 100 - just 21 behind all-time leaders Norway.

Let's just say, as the final evolved, the pressure was well and truly on. But it was nothing the 'Flying Tomato' couldn't handle...

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White found himself in unfamiliar territory after a crash during his second run meant his third run was more than his usual victory lap. The nerves started building on social media, and the pressure rocketed.

The 31-year-old needed a score of 95.25 to secure the gold medal, but he kept his cool, no doubt repeated the mantra "Challenge accepted" and showcased a near-perfect ride to score 97.75, securing his third Olympic halfpipe gold.

The emotion was too much for the newly crowned champion to contain, and Twitter basically went into meltdown...

Self-confessed Winter Olympics newcomers were bitten by the bug...

Some made comparisons to Olympic legend Michael Phelps and basketball star Michael Jordan...

Then, celebrities and athletes also recognised the magnificent feat for Team USA by sending their congratulations...

American 23-time tennis Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams sent White her congratulations...

...as did Michael Johnson, a four-time Olympic champion on the track.

Michael Phelps, a 23-time Olympic champion in the pool, paid tribute to White

Houston Texans NFL player J.J. Watt joined in the conversation on social media

White also received praise from professional skateboarder Tony Hawk

You know you've had a good day at the office when The Rock sends some Twitter love your way!

And there was a general sense of awe about the sport and the hero...

So we'll sum up the events of the small hours in this tweet by Kyle...