Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui won over the internet for breaking the Chinese taboo of discussing her period during an interview following a lackluster performance at the Rio Olympics.

Fu had already become a social media sensation thanks to her candid post-race interviews and quirky facial expressions at the Olympics and the Chinese athlete has just given us another reason to adore her.

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After finishing in fourth place in the women's 4x100m medley relay event on Sunday, Fu was missing while her teammates Lu Ying, Shi Jinglin and Zhu Menghui were being interviewed because she was crouched behind a hoarding squatting in pain.

When the interviewer asked her if she was all right, Fu apologized to her team members for not performing well in the race and letting them down before making the frank admission.

"I didn't swim well enough this time," Fu said, according to The Telegraph. "It's because my period came yesterday, so I felt particularly tired - but this isn't a reason, I still didn't swim well enough."

After revealing on national television that it was her time of the month, Fu earned plaudits back home and several viewers took to social media to praise the bronze-medalist for breaking the taboo surrounding the menstruation of female athletes.

"I really admire Fu Yuanhui for swimming while she was on her period - women can be affected during their periods, especially with period pain, said one social media user, according to BBC News. "She felt guilty for coming fourth, but Fu Yuanhui we're still very proud of you."

Fu's honest admission also sparked a discussion on tampon usage in China, where only 2 percent of women make use of the absorbent material as opposed to 42% in the U.S., according to an industry survey. Many Chinese women either do not know how to use tampons or had not heard of them and were also very difficult to find in many Chinese pharmacies.

TagsFu Yuanhui, Fu Yuanhui period, china, Chinese taboo, menstruation, Chinese Athlete, taboo