The women's 50 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 30 July to 1 August 2021 at the Olympic Aquatics Centre.[1] It was the event's ninth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1988.
| Women's 50 metre freestyle at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Tokyo Aquatics Centre | ||||||||||||
| Dates | 30 July 2021 (heats) 31 July 2021 (semifinals) 1 August 2021 (final) | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 81 from 73 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 23.81 OR | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Summary
editAustralia's Emma McKeon surged in the last 15 m of the race to win gold in an Olympic record time of 23.81, having also bettered the mark in the heats and semi-final. With her sixth medal at these Games, McKeon became the most decorated Australian Olympian at a single Games.
Following elbow surgery in February, Sweden's Sarah Sjöström achieved her first podium finish at these Games with the world-record holder clocking a 24.07 to win silver. The defending Olympic champion Pernille Blume (24.21) won the bronze medal, denying the 2012 Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo (24.30) a podium finish.
Poland’s Katarzyna Wasick and China's Wu Qingfeng came equal fifth in 24.32, while Australia's Cate Campbell (24.36) and the U.S.'s Abbey Weitzeil (24.41) rounded out the championship field.
Records
editPrior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record |  Sarah Sjöström (SWE) |
23.67 | Budapest, Hungary | 29 July 2017 | [2] |
| Olympic record |  Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) |
24.05 | London, United Kingdom | 4 August 2012 | [3][4] |
The following records were established during the competition:
| Date | Event | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 July | Heat 10 | Emma McKeon |  Australia |
24.02 | OR |
| 31 July | Semifinal 2 | Emma McKeon | Australia |
24.00 | OR |
| 1 August | Final | Emma McKeon | Australia |
23.81 | OR |
Qualification
editThe Olympic Qualifying Time for the event is 24.77 seconds. Up to two swimmers per National Olympic Committee (NOC) can automatically qualify by swimming that time at an approved qualification event. The Olympic Selection Time is 25.51 seconds. Up to one swimmer per NOC meeting that time is eligible for selection, allocated by world ranking until the maximum quota for all swimming events is reached. NOCs without a female swimmer qualified in any event can also use their universality place.[5]
Competition format
editThe competition consists of three rounds: heats, semifinals, and a final. The swimmers with the best 16 times in the heats advance to the semifinals. The swimmers with the best 8 times in the semifinals advance to the final. Swim-offs are used as necessary to break ties for advancement to the next round.[6]
Schedule
editAll times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)[1]
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| 30 July | 19:23 | Heats |
| 31 July | 11:32 | Semifinals |
| 1 August | 10:37 | Final |
Results
editHeats
editThe swimmers with the top 16 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the semifinals.[7]
Semifinals
editThe swimmers with the best 8 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the final.[8]
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 4 | Emma McKeon | Australia |
24.00 | Q, OR |
| 2 | 1 | 4 | Pernille Blume |  Denmark |
24.08 | Q |
| 3 | 1 | 5 | Sarah Sjöström |  Sweden |
24.13 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | 6 | Abbey Weitzeil |  United States |
24.19 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | 3 | Katarzyna Wasick |  Poland |
24.26 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | 5 | Cate Campbell | Australia |
24.27 | Q |
| 7 | 1 | 6 | Ranomi Kromowidjojo | Netherlands |
24.29 | Q |
| 8 | 1 | 2 | Wu Qingfeng |  China |
24.32 | QSO |
| 1 | 3 | Zhang Yufei | China |
QSO, WD | ||
| 10 | 2 | 2 | Arina Surkova |  ROC |
24.57 | |
| 11 | 2 | 1 | Mélanie Henique |  France |
24.63 | |
| 2 | 7 | Simone Manuel | United States |
|||
| 13 | 1 | 7 | Emma Chelius |  South Africa |
24.64 | NR |
| 14 | 1 | 8 | Marie Wattel | France |
24.76 | |
| 15 | 2 | 8 | Fanny Teijonsalo |  Finland |
24.91 | |
| 16 | 1 | 1 | Julie Kepp Jensen | Denmark |
24.98 |
Final
edit| Rank | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4 | Emma McKeon | Australia |
23.81 | OR |
 |
3 | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden |
24.07 | |
 |
5 | Pernille Blume | Denmark |
24.21 | |
| 4 | 1 | Ranomi Kromowidjojo | Netherlands |
24.30 | |
| 5 | 2 | Katarzyna Wasick | Poland |
24.32 | |
| 8 | Wu Qingfeng | China |
|||
| 7 | 7 | Cate Campbell | Australia |
24.36 | |
| 8 | 6 | Abbey Weitzeil | United States |
24.41 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle Schedule". Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "Swimming: Sjostrom breaks women's 50 meters freestyle world record". Reuters. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ^ Dillman, Lisa (4 August 2012). "London Olympics: Ranomi Kromowidjojo wins 50-meter freestyle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ^ "Swimming: Kromowidjojo wins 50m freestyle gold". Reuters. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ^ "Tokyo 2020 – FINA Swimming Qualification System" (PDF). Tokyo 2020. FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "FINA Swimming Rulebook, 2017–21" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Heats results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Semifinals results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "Final results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.