# Swimming at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle

The Men's 50m Freestyle event at the 10th FINA World Aquatics Championships swam on 25–26 July 2003 in Barcelona, Spain. Preliminary and Semifinal heats swam on July 25, while the Final swam July 26.
Prior to the championships, the following World (WR) and Championship (CR) records were:
* WR: 21.64 swum by Alexander Popov (Russia) on 16 June 2000 in Moscow, Russia
* CR: 22.05 swum by Anthony Ervin (USA) on 22 July 2001 in Fukuoka, Japan

## Results
### Final

| Place | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Alexander Popov | Russia | 21.92 | CR |
| 2 | 1 | Mark Foster | Great Britain | 22.20 | |
| 3 | 7 | Pieter van den Hoogenband | Netherlands | 22.29 | |
| 4 | 3 | Johan Kenkhuis | Netherlands | 22.30 | |
| 5 | 6 | Julien Sicot | France | 22.38 | |
| 6 | 2 | Oleksandr Volynets | Ukraine | 22.40 | |
| 7 | 8 | Brett Hawke | Australia | 22.41 | |
| 8 | 5 | Jason Lezak | USA | 22.44 | |

### Semifinals

| Rank | Heat + Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time |
| 1 | S2 L4 | Alexander Popov | Russia | 21.99 |
| 2 | S1 L4 | Jason Lezak | USA | 22.14 |
| 3 | S2 L5 | Johan Kenkhuis | Netherlands | 22.31 |
| 4 | S1 L5 | Julien Sicot | France | 22.32 |
| 5 | S2 L2 | Oleksandr Volynets | Ukraine | 22.34 |
| 6 | S2 L3 | Pieter van den Hoogenband | Netherlands | 22.36 |
| 7 | S1 L2 | Mark Foster | Great Britain | 22.43 |
| 8 | S2 L6 | Brett Hawke | Australia | 22.45 |
| 9 | S1 L6 | Ryk Neethling | South Africa | 22.46 |
| 10 | S2 L8 | Frédérick Bousquet | France | 22.47 |
| 11 | S1 L1 | Vyacheslav Shyrshov | Ukraine | 22.57 |
| 12 | S2 L7 | Eduard Lorente | Spain | 22.60 |
| 13 | S1 L3 | Peter Mankoč | Slovenia | 22.61 |
| 14 | S2 L1 | Michele Scarica | Italy | 22.64 |
| 14 | S1 L8 | Denis Pimankov | Russia | 22.64 |
| 16 | S1 L7 | Karel Novy | Switzerland | 22.66 |

### Preliminaries

| Rank | Heat+Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | H22 L4 | Alexander Popov | Russia | 21.98 | q, CR |
| 2 | H22 L5 | Jason Lezak | United States | 22.29 | q |
| 3 | H21 L4 | Johan Kenkhuis | Netherlands | 22.32 | q |
| 4 | H20 L1 | Julien Sicot | France | 22.36 | q |
| 5 | H22 L2 | Pieter van den Hoogenband | Netherlands | 22.51 | q |
| 6 | H18 L5 | Peter Mankoč | Slovenia | 22.54 | q |
| 6 | H21 L3 | Brett Hawke | Australia | 22.54 | q |
| 8 | H20 L2 | Ryk Neethling | South Africa | 22.56 | q |
| 9 | H20 L3 | Oleksandr Volynets | Ukraine | 22.57 | q |
| 10 | H21 L2 | Mark Foster | Great Britain | 22.59 | q |
| 11 | H20 L7 | Eduard Lorente | Spain | 22.60 | q |
| 12 | H18 L4 | Karel Novy | Switzerland | 22.63 | q |
| 12 | H20 L8 | Michele Scarica | Italy | 22.63 | q |
| 12 | H22 L6 | Vyacheslav Shyrshov | Ukraine | 22.63 | q |
| 15 | H22 L8 | Frédérick Bousquet | France | 22.64 | q |
| 16 | H17 L5 | Denis Pimankov | Russia | 22.69 | q |
| 17 | H20 L6 | Roland Schoeman | South Africa | 22.74 | |
| 17 | H21 L6 | Salim Iles | Algeria | 22.74 | |
| 17 | H22 L3 | Anthony Ervin | United States | 22.74 | |
| 20 | H20 L4 | Bartosz Kizierowski | Poland | 22.75 | |
| 20 | H20 L5 | Lorenzo Vismara | Italy | 22.75 | |
| 20 | H22 L7 | Stefan Nystrand | Sweden | 22.75 | |
| 23 | H21 L7 | Fernando Scherer | Brazil | 22.80 | |
| 24 | H21 L1 | Ricardo Bousquet | Puerto Rico | 22.83 | |
| 25 | H19 L8 | Pedro Silva | Portugal | 22.86 | |
| 26 | H19 L7 | Torsten Spanneberg | Germany | 22.93 | |
| 26 | H21 L5 | Ashley Callus | Australia | 22.93 | |
| 28 | H19 L3 | Milorad Čavić | FR Yugoslavia | 22.95 | |
| 29 | H16 L8 | Matti Rajakylä | Finland | 23.02 | |
| 29 | H18 L6 | Rolandas Gimbutis | Lithuania | 23.02 | |
| 31 | H19 L5 | Jader Souza | Brazil | 23.04 | |
| 32 | H21 L8 | Julio Santos | Ecuador | 23.10 | |
| 33 | H19 L6 | Jere Hård | Finland | 23.11 | |
| 34 | H22 L1 | Kim Min-Suk | South Korea | 23.13 | |
| 35 | H17 L7 | Brent Hayden | Canada | 23.14 | |
| 35 | H19 L4 | Renaat Dreesen | Belgium | 23.14 | |
| 37 | H18 L8 | Camilo Becerra | Colombia | 23.17 | |
| 38 | H17 L4 | Danil Haustov | Estonia | 23.19 | |
| 39 | H18 L3 | Attila Zubor | Hungary | 23.20 | |
| 40 | H17 L6 | Eric La Fleur | Sweden | 23.23 | |
| 41 | H18 L2 | Ales Volcansek | Croatia | 23.25 | |
| 42 | H16 L1 | Paulius Viktoravicius | Lithuania | 23.34 | |
| 42 | H18 L1 | Chen Zuo | China | 23.34 | |
| 44 | H16 L4 | Christoph Bühler | Switzerland | 23.36 | |
| 45 | H19 L2 | Yannick Lupien | Canada | 23.37 | |
| 46 | H19 L1 | Apostolos Tsagkarakis | Greece | 23.42 | |
| 47 | H15 L3 | Lee Chung-Hee | South Korea | 23.49 | |
| 48 | H17 L3 | Rastislav Kanuk | Slovakia | 23.56 | |
| 49 | H14 L7 | Octavio Alesi | Venezuela | 23.64 | |
| 50 | H17 L1 | Duje Draganja | Croatia | 23.65 | |
| 51 | H14 L2 | Romāns Miloslavskis | Latvia | 23.67 | |
| 51 | H15 L2 | Mihály Flaskay | Hungary | 23.67 | |
| 53 | H16 L6 | Raymond Rosal | Venezuela | 23.68 | |
| 54 | H15 L4 | Carl Probert | Fiji | 23.70 | |
| 55 | H13 L4 | Ryan Pini | Papua New Guinea | 23.74 | |
| 56 | H10 L3 | Matjaž Markič | Slovenia | 23.83 | |
| 57 | H16 L7 | Francisco Picasso | Uruguay | 23.85 | |
| 57 | H18 L7 | Arwut Chinnapasaen | Thailand | 23.85 | |
| 59 | H16 L3 | Stavros Michaelides | Cyprus | 23.89 | |
| 60 | H14 L3 | Liu Yu | China | 23.92 | |
| 61 | H16 L2 | Allen Ong | Malaysia | 23.96 | |
| 62 | H12 L2 | Heidar Ingi Marinosson | Iceland | 24.02 | |
| 63 | H17 L2 | Octavian Guţu | Moldova | 24.04 | |
| 64 | H12 L1 | Zeljko Panic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 24.05 | |
| 65 | H13 L3 | Paul Kutscher | Uruguay | 24.08 | |
| 66 | H15 L8 | Harbeth Fu Wing | Hong Kong | 24.10 | |
| 67 | H12 L6 | Terrence Haynes | Barbados | 24.15 | |
| 67 | H17 L8 | Chrysanthos Papachrysanthou | Cyprus | 24.15 | |
| 69 | H11 L5 | Wickus Nienaber | Swaziland | 24.18 | |
| 69 | H13 L7 | Martyn Forde | Barbados | 24.18 | |
| 71 | H15 L1 | Howard Hinds | Netherlands Antilles | 24.33 | |
| 72 | H13 L5 | Ismael Ortiz | Panama | 24.34 | |
| 73 | H13 L8 | Nicholas Bovell | Trinidad and Tobago | 24.40 | |
| 73 | H14 L4 | Roberto Sanso | Costa Rica | 24.40 | |
| 75 | H15 L6 | Aleksandr Agafonov | Uzbekistan | 24.41 | |
| 76 | H12 L3 | Gregory Arkhurst | Ivory Coast | 24.46 | |
| 77 | H12 L8 | Afolabi Adeleke-Adedoyin | Nigeria | 24.47 | |
| 78 | H13 L6 | Vyacheslav Titarenko | Kazakhstan | 24.51 | |
| 79 | H15 L5 | Ashby Brendan | Zimbabwe | 24.54 | |
| 80 | H11 L4 | Carles Ridaura | Andorra | 24.60 | |
| 81 | H15 L7 | Sven Schneider | Estonia | 24.61 | |
| 82 | H11 L8 | Adil Bellaz | Morocco | 24.67 | |
| 83 | H05 L6 | Mauricio Prudencio | Bolivia | 24.70 | |
| 84 | H11 L1 | Gentle Offoin | Nigeria | 24.74 | |
| 85 | H12 L5 | Maximiliano Schnettler | Chile | 24.76 | |
| 86 | H14 L6 | Aloïs Dansou | Benin | 24.81 | |
| 87 | H13 L1 | Lim Yu Lung Lubrey | Malaysia | 24.83 | |
| 88 | H08 L6 | Onan Orlando Thom | Guyana | 24.84 | |
| 88 | H10 L8 | Kenny Roberts | Seychelles | 24.84 | |
| 90 | H08 L4 | Lao Kuan Fong | Macau | 24.86 | |
| 91 | H11 L2 | Kin Lun Doo | Hong Kong | 24.90 | |
| 92 | H11 L6 | Zaid Almarafi | Jordan | 24.92 | |
| 93 | H12 L7 | Fadi Jalabi | Syria | 24.93 | |
| 94 | H11 L7 | Gustavo Adolfo Martinez | Honduras | 24.96 | |
| 95 | H11 L3 | Levan Berdize | Georgia | 24.98 | |
| 96 | H13 L2 | Cem Pasaoglu | Turkey | 24.99 | |
| 97 | H10 L2 | V. Arun Vellore | India | 25.00 | |
| 98 | H14 L1 | Ayoub Al-Mas | United Arab Emirates | 25.05 | |
| 99 | H14 L5 | Maran Cruz | Puerto Rico | 25.07 | |
| 100 | H09 L3 | Davy Bisslik | Aruba | 25.10 | |
| 100 | H10 L6 | Joao Aguiar | Angola | 25.10 | |
| 102 | H08 L7 | Carlos Castro | Chile | 25.11 | |
| 103 | H10 L4 | Le Ba Lam | Vietnam | 25.14 | |
| 104 | H09 L2 | Rama Vyombo | Kenya | 25.25 | |
| 105 | H09 L8 | Wong Wing Cheung Victor | Macau | 25.28 | |
| 106 | H09 L4 | Abed Rahman Kaaki | Lebanon | 25.31 | |
| 106 | H10 L5 | Jamie Peterkin | Saint Lucia | 25.31 | |
| 108 | H07 L5 | Hesham Shehab | Bahrain | 25.35 | |
| 109 | H08 L1 | Ranui Teriipaia | Tahiti | 25.53 | |
| 109 | H09 L1 | Babak Farhoudi | Iran | 25.53 | |
| 111 | H09 L5 | Timur Irgashev | Uzbekistan | 25.55 | |
| 112 | H06 L5 | Miguel Angel Navarro | Bolivia | 25.60 | |
| 113 | H06 L1 | Othmane Elghnimi | Morocco | 25.78 | |
| 114 | H06 L2 | Aung Yan Lin | Myanmar | 25.82 | |
| 114 | H06 L8 | Bradford Worrell | Saint Lucia | 25.82 | |
| 116 | H07 L3 | Yann Lausan | Tahiti | 25.83 | |
| 117 | H07 L4 | Ahmed Mohamed Jewel | Bangladesh | 25.85 | |
| 118 | H06 L4 | Loren Lindborg | Marshall Islands | 25.87 | |
| 119 | H05 L7 | Cole Shade Sule | Cameroon | 25.96 | |
| 120 | H08 L5 | Abdoulaye Mbow | Senegal | 25.98 | |
| 120 | H08 L3 | Gordon Touw Ngie Tjouw | Suriname | 25.98 | |
| 122 | H09 L6 | Jean Luc Razakarivony | Madagascar | 26.11 | |
| 123 | H09 L7 | Tamir Andryei | Mongolia | 26.19 | |
| 123 | H10 L7 | Urnultsaikhan Ganbold | Mongolia | 26.19 | |
| 125 | H07 L2 | Connor H Keith | Guam | 26.21 | |
| 126 | H07 L6 | Moe Aung Kyaw | Myanmar | 26.24 | |
| 126 | H08 L8 | Benjamin Wells | Papua New Guinea | 26.24 | |
| 128 | H07 L1 | Ronald Ying | Guyana | 26.35 | |
| 129 | H05 L2 | Jean Laurent Ravera | Monaco | 26.37 | |
| 130 | H04 L1 | Peter James Linch | Zambia | 26.44 | |
| 131 | H07 L8 | Amar Shah | Kenya | 26.46 | |
| 132 | H04 L3 | Rony Bakale | Republic of the Congo | 26.47 | |
| 133 | H05 L5 | Patrick Boustant | Lebanon | 26.51 | |
| 134 | H05 L1 | Anderson Bonabart | Federated States of Micronesia | 26.55 | |
| 135 | H07 L7 | Ibrahim Maliki | Niger | 26.58 | |
| 136 | H05 L3 | Kin−Vincent Duenas | Guam | 26.61 | |
| 137 | H05 L4 | Kreshnik Gjata | Albania | 26.64 | |
| 138 | H06 L3 | Mohammed Abbas | Iraq | 26.75 | |
| 139 | H10 L1 | Nuno Rola | Angola | 26.83 | |
| 140 | H06 L6 | Orkhan Samadov | Azerbaijan | 26.84 | |
| 141 | H04 L4 | Fernando Medrano | Nicaragua | 26.87 | |
| 142 | H05 L8 | Clark Randrianandraina | Madagascar | 26.89 | |
| 143 | H04 L7 | Welbert Samuel | Federated States of Micronesia | 26.93 | |
| 144 | H04 L6 | Stephenson Wallace | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 27.01 | |
| 145 | H04 L8 | Issam Halawani | Palestine | 27.14 | |
| 146 | H03 L4 | Chisela Kanchela | Zambia | 27.33 | |
| 147 | H04 L5 | Fidel Davis | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 27.40 | |
| 148 | H01 L3 | Hassan Mubah | Maldives | 27.51 | |
| 149 | H06 L7 | Aldi Gugushka | Albania | 27.52 | |
| 150 | H01 L5 | Hem Kiri | Cambodia | 27.56 | |
| 151 | H02 L8 | Joshua Marfleet | Samoa | 27.68 | |
| 152 | H03 L6 | Sikhounxay Ounkhamphanyavong | Laos | 27.71 | |
| 153 | H03 L5 | Edgar Luberenga | Uganda | 27.81 | |
| 154 | H02 L4 | Carlos Notarianni | Marshall Islands | 28.48 | |
| 155 | H03 L7 | Bounthanom Vongphachanh | Laos | 28.68 | |
| 156 | H03 L2 | Hojamamed Hojamamedov | Turkmenistan | 29.07 | |
| 157 | H03 L3 | Gilbert Kaburu | Uganda | 29.09 | |
| 158 | H01 L7 | Mamadou Ouedraogo | Burkina Faso | 29.19 | |
| 159 | H03 L1 | Mohammed Sultan Judat | Yemen | 29.82 | |
| 160 | H02 L6 | Leonce Sekama | Rwanda | 30.57 | |
| 161 | H02 L7 | Blaise Pascal Gasabira | Rwanda | 31.22 | |
| 162 | H02 L2 | Malique Williams | Antigua and Barbuda | 34.04 | |
| 163 | H02 L1 | Glyn Tonge | Antigua and Barbuda | 35.15 | |
| - | H01 L4 | A.A. Romain Belemtougri | Burkina Faso | DQ | |
| - | H02 L3 | Ali Maiga Akibou | Niger | DQ | |
| - | H16 L5 | Nuno Laurentino | Portugal | DNS | |
| - | H14 L8 | Ayoub Salem Mallalah | United Arab Emirates | DNS | |
| - | H08 L2 | Ahmed Ouattata Zie | Ivory Coast | DNS | |
| - | H04 L2 | Alain Ives Mewoutou | Cameroon | DNS | |
| - | H03 L8 | Aiah Emerson Mansa Musai | Sierra Leone | DNS | |
| - | H02 L5 | Abubakarr Ialloh | Sierra Leone | DNS | |
| - | H01 L6 | Herve Nkurunziza | Burundi | DNS | |