Ever since the 23-year-old swimmer Chinese swimmer Ning Zetao made his debut at the Rio Olympics, social media posts have seemed more interested in him modelling for photos than for his Olympic success.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

On Wednesday, Ning came in sixth in the semifinals of the men's 100m freestyle, which meant he ranked 12th overall and lost out on a spot in the finals.

Despite being beaten, the swimmer remained positive, telling CRI News that he had tried his best. "I'm really happy and satisfied. It is not easy, every step of the way. I'm very proud to be here at the Olympic Games," he said.

Ning also took to his Weibo account to thank his fans for their support and concern. In the post, Ning promised to continue to work harder, swim faster and celebrate his youthful energy.

In less than 24 hours, Ning's post received over 900,000 likes, 60,000 shares and close to 120,000 comments.

Most of the comments encouraged Ning and were literally littered with heart and kissing emoji.

So while we're a little sad that we won't get to watch Ning anymore at Rio, we're pretty sure we've not seen the last of him.