The first weekend of the Olympics is behind us. Every gold medal is memorable to the person who wins it, but a few events stood out to spectators in Beijing and those watching on TV worldwide.

Here are some of the best moments from the early competitions of the 2008 Olympics.

1. 17-year-old weightlifter Long Qingquan took gold in the men’s 56-kg competition. The record 132-kg weight he lifted in the snatch portion of the competition was enough to give him the win. This was the first chance Chinese fans had to really cheer their home athletes. The audience went crazy every time Long tookthe platform. He began the competiton with bows in response to the applause. But these had turned into fist pumps, shouts, and waves by the end of the day.

2. The US men’s gymnastics team was able to win bronze in the team competition. The way the plucky second stringers performed was more than admirable. No one watching the event would remember that Morgan and Paul Hamm, the stars of the Athens Olympics, were absent.

3. The woman’s bicycle road race was run in terrible conditions. Torrential rains and pooling water on the roadway led to numerous accidents, including some that left riders in the water-filled ditch on the side of the road. When Nicole Cooke finally crossed the line to win gold, no one doubted that she deserved it.

4. Jason Lezak won the 4×100-meter freestyle relay for the US by inches after beginning the final leg of the race well behind a strong French team. At 32 year-old, Lezak used a veteran’s wisdom, swimming in the French swimmer’s wake in order to make up additional time.

5. In women’s Water Polo, a young Chinese team, put together especially for the Olympics, nearly knocked off the reigning world champions from the US. In the end, the Chinese squad’s inexperience showed, but for most of the match, they play evenly with the US and ended up losing by only one goal.