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

The women's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships took place 28 July. The heats and semifinals took place 27 July, with the final being held on 28 July.

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and competition records were as follows:
| World record | He Cihong (CHN) | 1:00.16 | Rome, Italy | 10 September 1994 |
| Championship record | He Cihong (CHN) | 1:00.16 | Rome, Italy | 10 September 1994 |

## Results
### Heats

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Natalie Coughlin | United States | 1:00.94 | Q |
| 2 | Antje Buschschulte | Germany | 1:01.60 | Q |
| 3 | Diana Mocanu | Romania | 1:01.81 | Q |
| 4 | Nina Zhivanevskaya | Spain | 1:01.91 | Q |
| 5 | Sarah Price | United Kingdom | 1:01.99 | Q |
| 6 | Mai Nakamura | Japan | 1:02.36 | Q |
| 7 | Ilona Hlaváčková | Czech Republic | 1:02.48 | Q |
| 7 | Katy Sexton | United Kingdom | 1:02.48 | Q |
| 9 | Hanae Ito | Japan | 1:02.64 | Q |
| 10 | Stanislava Komarova | Russia | 1:02.70 | Q |
| 11 | Louise Ørnstedt | Denmark | 1:03.05 | Q |
| 12 | Dyana Calub | Australia | 1:03.17 | Q |
| 13 | Zhan Shu | China | 1:03.22 | Q |
| 14 | Haley Cope | United States | 1:03.23 | Q |
| 15 | Anu Koivisto | Finland | 1:03.25 | Q |
| 16 | Giaan Rooney | Australia | 1:03.58 | Q |
| 17 | Michelle Lischinsky | Canada | 1:03.63 | |
| 18 | Jennifer Carroll | Canada | 1:04.49 | |
| 19 | Dominique Diezi | Switzerland | 1:04.52 | |
| 20 | Ania Gustomelski | Israel | 1:04.59 | |
| 21 | Maria Santos | Portugal | 1:04.65 | |
| 22 | Shim Min-Ji | South Korea | 1:04.67 | |
| 23 | Alenka Kejžar | Slovenia | 1:04.75 | |
| 23 | Alessandra Cappa | Italy | 1:04.75 | |
| 25 | Helen Nolfolk | New Zealand | 1:05.89 | |
| 26 | Deirdre Hughes | Ireland | 1:06.82 | |
| 27 | Kuan Chia-Hsien | Chinese Taipei | 1:07.63 | |
| 28 | Saida Iskandarova | Uzbekistan | 1:07.96 | |
| 29 | Valeria Silva | Peru | 1:08.22 | |
| 30 | Ayeisha Collymore | Trinidad and Tobago | 1:08.31 | |
| 31 | Elena Efimenko | Uzbekistan | 1:08.73 | |
| 32 | Yang Chin-Kuei | Chinese Taipei | 1:08.86 | |
| 33 | María Costanzo | Paraguay | 1:09.22 | |
| 34 | Jacqueline Lim | Singapore | 1:09.25 | |
| 35 | Khadisa Ciss | Senegal | 1:09.47 | |
| 36 | Perla Martinez | Honduras | 1:10.09 | |
| 37 | Denyse Tan | Singapore | 1:10.52 | |
| 38 | Reshma Millet | India | 1:11.29 | |
| 39 | Shun Kwan Andrea Chum | Macau | 1:13.96 | |
| 40 | Yelena Rojkova | Turkmenistan | 1:19.72 | |
| 41 | Lasm Meledje | Ivory Coast | 1:19.81 | |
| 42 | Miriam Nakolo | Kenya | 1:21.93 | |
| – | Ivana Gabrilo | Switzerland | DNS | |

### Semifinals

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Natalie Coughlin | United States | 1:00.91 | Q |
| 2 | Diana Mocanu | Romania | 1:01.26 | Q |
| 3 | Nina Zhivanevskaya | Spain | 1:01.44 | Q |
| 4 | Antje Buschschulte | Germany | 1:01.55 | Q |
| 5 | Sarah Price | United Kingdom | 1:01.60 | Q |
| 6 | Mai Nakamura | Japan | 1:01.94 | Q |
| 7 | Ilona Hlaváčková | Czech Republic | 1:02.19 | Q |
| 8 | Hanae Ito | Japan | 1:02.23 | Q |
| 9 | Dyana Calub | Australia | 1:02.25 | |
| 10 | Stanislava Komarova | Russia | 1:02.53 | |
| 11 | Haley Cope | United States | 1:02.61 | |
| 12 | Louise Ørnstedt | Denmark | 1:02.67 | |
| 13 | Zhan Shu | China | 1:02.70 | |
| 14 | Anu Koivisto | Finland | 1:03.04 | |
| 15 | Katy Sexton | United Kingdom | 1:03.16 | |
| 16 | Giaan Rooney | Australia | 1:03.85 | |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Natalie Coughlin | United States | 1:00.37 |
| | Diana Mocanu | Romania | 1:00.68 |
| | Antje Buschschulte | Germany | 1:01.42 |
| 4 | Nina Zhivanevskaya | Spain | 1:01.75 |
| 5 | Mai Nakamura | Japan | 1:01.80 |
| 6 | Sarah Price | United Kingdom | 1:01.82 |
| 7 | Hanae Ito | Japan | 1:02.40 |
| 8 | Ilona Hlaváčková | Czech Republic | 1:02.60 |