# Swimming at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 100 metre freestyle

The women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships took place 25 July. The heats and semifinals were held on 24 July.

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and competition records were as follows:
| World record | Inge de Bruijn (NED) | 53.77 | Sydney, Australia | 20 September 2000 |
| Championship record | Le Jingyi (CHN) | 54.01 | Rome, Italy | 5 September 1994 |

## Results
### Heats

| Rank | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Johanna Sjöberg | Sweden | 55.44 | Q |
| 1 | Yanwei Xu | China | 55.44 | Q |
| 3 | Katrin Meissner | Germany | 55.51 | Q |
| 4 | Sarah Ryan | Australia | 55.55 | Q |
| 5 | Alena Popchanka | Belarus | 55.63 | Q |
| 6 | Inge de Bruijn | Netherlands | 55.65 | Q |
| 7 | Martina Moravcová | Slovakia | 55.72 | Q |
| 8 | Cecilia Vianini | Italy | 55.80 | Q |
| 9 | Sandra Völker | Germany | 55.89 | Q |
| 10 | Mette Jacobsen | Denmark | 56.03 | Q |
| 11 | Sumika Minamoto | Japan | 56.08 | Q |
| 12 | Maritza Correia | United States | 56.13 | Q |
| 13 | Laura Nicholls | Canada | 56.17 | Q |
| 14 | Otylia Jędrzejczak | Poland | 56.24 | Q |
| 15 | Luisa Striani | Italy | 56.36 | Q |
| 16 | Colleen Lanne | United States | 56.38 | Q |
| 17 | Olga Mukomol | Ukraine | 56.39 | |
| 17 | Hanna-Maria Seppälä | Finland | 56.39 | |
| 19 | Lori Munz | Australia | 56.44 | |
| 20 | Inna Yaitskaya | Russia | 56.47 | |
| 21 | Marianne Limpert | Canada | 56.55 | |
| 22 | Natallia Hadjiloizou | Belarus | 56.56 | |
| 23 | Elina Partoka | Estonia | 56.65 | |
| 24 | Jana Kolukanova | Estonia | 56.73 | |
| 25 | Tomoko Nagai | Japan | 56.75 | |
| 26 | Florencia Szigeti | Argentina | 56.91 | |
| 27 | Leah Martindale | Barbados | 56.93 | |
| 28 | Anna Gostomelsky | Israel | 57.07 | |
| 29 | Xue Han | China | 57.11 | |
| 30 | Ekaterina Kibalo | Russia | 57.31 | |
| 31 | Nicole Zahnd | Switzerland | 57.33 | |
| 32 | Dominique Diezi | Switzerland | 57.50 | |
| 32 | Wilma van Hofwegen | Netherlands | 57.50 | |
| 34 | Nina van Koeckhoven | Belgium | 57.53 | |
| 35 | Vivienne Rignall | New Zealand | 57.59 | |
| 36 | Chantal Gibney | Ireland | 57.65 | |
| 37 | Judith Draxler | Austria | 57.77 | |
| 38 | Florina Herea | Romania | 57.83 | |
| 39 | Julie Douglas | Ireland | 58.02 | |
| 40 | Agata Korc | Poland | 58.44 | |
| 41 | Flavia Delaroli-Cazziolato | Brazil | 58.65 | |
| 42 | Jacqueline Lim | Singapore | 59.17 | |
| 43 | Lára Hrund Bjargardóttir | Iceland | 59.36 | |
| 44 | Sung Yi-chieh | Chinese Taipei | 59.62 | |
| 45 | Maria Wong | Peru | 59.84 | |
| 46 | Shikha Tandon | India | 59.96 | |
| 47 | Sharntelle McLean | Trinidad and Tobago | 1:00.33 | |
| 48 | Nicole Hayes | Palau | 1:00.40 | |
| 49 | Reshma Millet | India | 1:00.65 | |
| 50 | Huei-Yun Lee | Chinese Taipei | 1:01.42 | |
| 51 | Xenavee Pangelinan | Northern Mariana Islands | 1:01.57 | |
| 52 | Weng Tong Cheong | Macau | 1:01.69 | |
| 53 | Khadija Ciss | Senegal | 1:02.54 | |
| 54 | Yuliana Mikheeva | Armenia | 1:05.64 | |
| 55 | Miriam Nakolo | Kenya | 1:06.75 | |
| 56 | Lasm Quissoh Genevieve Meledje | Ivory Coast | 1:07.21 | |
| 57 | Myagmarsuren Delgermaa | Mongolia | 1:08.43 | |
| 58 | Monika Bakale | Republic of the Congo | 1:10.38 | |
| 59 | Amanda Onyango | Kenya | 1:11.86 | |
| – | Therese Alshammar | Sweden | DNS | |
| – | Ayeisha Collymore | Trinidad and Tobago | DSQ | |

### Semifinals

| Rank | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Inge de Bruijn | Netherlands | 54.47 | Q |
| 2 | Katrin Meissner | Germany | 55.15 | Q |
| 3 | Martina Moravcová | Slovakia | 55.19 | Q |
| 3 | Alena Popchanka | Belarus | 55.19 | Q |
| 5 | Sandra Völker | Germany | 55.28 | Q |
| 6 | Yanwei Xu | China | 55.33 | Q |
| 7 | Sarah Ryan | Australia | 55.37 | Q |
| 8 | Johanna Sjöberg | Sweden | 55.43 | Q |
| 9 | Maritza Correia | United States | 55.60 | |
| 10 | Cecilia Vianini | Italy | 55.80 | |
| 11 | Sumika Minamoto | Japan | 55.90 | |
| 12 | Otylia Jędrzejczak | Poland | 55.97 | |
| 13 | Colleen Lanne | United States | 55.98 | |
| 14 | Laura Nicholls | Canada | 56.23 | |
| 15 | Mette Jacobsen | Denmark | 56.30 | |
| 16 | Luisa Striani | Italy | 56.33 | |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Inge de Bruijn | Netherlands | 54.18 |
| | Katrin Meissner | Germany | 55.07 |
| | Sandra Völker | Germany | 55.11 |
| 4 | Martina Moravcová | Slovakia | 55.12 |
| 5 | Alena Popchanka | Belarus | 55.19 |
| 6 | Yanwei Xu | China | 55.38 |
| 7 | Johanna Sjöberg | Sweden | 55.42 |
| 8 | Sarah Ryan | Australia | 55.53 |