Zhang swims and smiles her way into nation's hearts

Zhang Yufei may have missed out on gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday but the ebullient 23-year-old certainly won the nation's hearts.

With her confident smile and bubbly personality, Zhang became an instant hit on Chinese social media after proving as natural in front of the TV cameras as she is in the pool following her runner-up finish in Monday's 100-meter butterfly final.

"I am very happy. I learned a lot," beamed Zhang after clocking 55.64, just 0.05 seconds behind gold medalist Margaret MacNeil of Canada.