Bev Wake keeps an eye out for the witty, wild and plain ridiculous.

Tonga-mania: Shirtless Tongan Pita Nikolas Tau-fatofua was the star of the opening ceremony, and the people’s love-in with him continued throughout the Olympics. Fans chanted “Tonga, Tonga” during his first-round taekwondo match on Saturday — and he was swarmed by TV crews and journalists afterwards, despite a 16-1 loss to Sajjad Mardani of Iran. “How the hell does the crowd know where Tonga is?” Taufatofua asked later. “Obviously we did something right. To me that is what the Olympics is about. It is about bringing people who don’t know each other, with different culture, different religions and views together and having people understand that there is more to sports than just winning … I say this because I lost, but next time I’ll hopefully win.” Thanks, Mom: Who do most Olympians search the crowd for after competing? Their parents. American Matthew Centrowitz was perhaps the most visible example, sharing an exchange with his dad after winning gold in the men’s 1,500-metre race Saturday night. “I saw my dad on the victory lap and I yelled to him, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Centrowitz said. “And he yelled back ‘Are you effing kidding me?’ We just kept on going back and forth. I don’t think any of us believed it.” Others have had less effusive reactions, including China’s double gold medallist diver Aisen Chen. “I called my mother before, when I won the synchronized event,” he said, “but she said, ‘It’s so late. Why are you calling? I was already asleep’.” Hair today, gone tomorrow: Asked what enabled him to reach the men’s canoe double 1,000-metre final, Filip Dvorak of the Czech Republic credited his facial hair. “Ladies love it,” he said of his moustache. “There’s strength inside, hidden. My strength is in my moustache — that’s why we got into the final.” There was no word on his plans for the ’stache after finishing seventh in the final. TWEET OF THE DAY: American gymnast Simone Biles, who won five medals in Rio, on what she learned from Michael Phelps: @Simone_Biles michael phelps taught me how to stack my medals