In a major sports competition like the Olympic Games, spectators enjoy not only the fierce rivalry between the competitors, but also sports' attendant idiosyncrasies.

In the women's 58-kilo division weightlifting, more than 3,000 local and overseas fans packed the Beijing University of Aeronautics.

The contest was a thrilling and hard-fought one. It was a matter of whatever you can do, I can do better.

There was plenty of action with extra weight frequently being added to the bar. In these intervals the crowd became very animated. There was singing, cheering, clapping and waving of flags. Some even got up and danced.

But it was the sound of silence when the lifters approached the bar, and fell into a trance of concentration.

But this silence was often punctuated by laughter when the quirks of each lifter tickled the crowd.

Poland's Aleksandra Klejnowska shook her legs in cartoon fashion.

Russian Marina Shainova gritted her teeth and puffed out her cheeks.

Ecuadorian Alexandra Escobar endeared herself to the spectators when, after successfully lifting 120 kilos, she kissed the weights.

Korean fans shouted support to their favourite, O Jong Ae. She shouted back to the great amusement of the non-Korean speakers.

The most fun was Roxana Cocos. The Romanian's early attempts to lift 115 kilos failed and when, at the third time of asking, she was successful, she did cartwheels, amazing the thousands of sports fans.