# Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's 50 metre freestyle

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. It was the event's ninth consecutive appearance, having been held at every edition since 1988.

## Summary

Australia'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

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | Sarah Sjöström (SWE) | 23.67 | Budapest, Hungary | 29 July 2017 |
| Olympic record | Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) | 24.05 | London, United Kingdom | 4 August 2012 |
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

The 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.

## Competition format

The 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.

## Schedule

All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
| Date | Time | Round |
| 30 July | 19:23 | Heats |
| 31 July | 11:32 | Semifinals |
| 1 August | 10:37 | Final |

## Results
### Heats

The swimmers with the top 16 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 10 | 4 | Emma McKeon | Australia | 24.02 | Q, OR |
| 2 | 9 | 5 | Pernille Blume | Denmark | 24.12 | Q |
| 3 | 9 | 4 | Cate Campbell | Australia | 24.15 | Q |
| 4 | 11 | 4 | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden | 24.26 | Q |
| 5 | 11 | 3 | Katarzyna Wasick | Poland | 24.31 | Q |
| 6 | 9 | 6 | Zhang Yufei | China | 24.36 | Q |
| 7 | 11 | 6 | Abbey Weitzeil | United States | 24.37 | Q |
| 8 | 11 | 5 | Ranomi Kromowidjojo | Netherlands | 24.41 | Q |
| 9 | 11 | 7 | Arina Surkova | ROC | 24.52 | Q |
| 10 | 9 | 2 | Wu Qingfeng | China | 24.55 | Q |
| 11 | 10 | 5 | Simone Manuel | United States | 24.65 | Q |
| 11 | 10 | 8 | Emma Chelius | South Africa | 24.65 | Q, NR |
| 13 | 10 | 2 | Mélanie Henique | France | 24.69 | Q |
| 14 | 11 | 8 | Julie Kepp Jensen | Denmark | 24.70 | Q |
| 15 | 11 | 1 | Siobhán Haughey | Hong Kong | 24.75 | Q, WD |
| 16 | 10 | 6 | Femke Heemskerk | Netherlands | 24.77 | Q, WD |
| 17 | 9 | 8 | Fanny Teijonsalo | Finland | 24.79 | Q |
| 18 | 9 | 7 | Marie Wattel | France | 24.82 | Q |
| 19 | 10 | 3 | Maria Kameneva | ROC | 24.83 | |
| 20 | 9 | 3 | Michelle Coleman | Sweden | 24.84 | |
| 21 | 10 | 1 | Barbora Seemanová | Czech Republic | 24.92 | |
| 22 | 9 | 1 | Kayla Sanchez | Canada | 24.93 | |
| 23 | 8 | 5 | Lidón Muñoz del Campo | Spain | 25.10 | |
| 24 | 8 | 6 | Farida Osman | Egypt | 25.13 | |
| 25 | 6 | 4 | Anicka Delgado | Ecuador | 25.36 | NR |
| 25 | 8 | 4 | Julie Meynen | Luxembourg | 25.36 | |
| 27 | 7 | 3 | Isabella Arcila | Colombia | 25.41 | |
| 27 | 8 | 1 | Kalia Antoniou | Cyprus | 25.41 | |
| 29 | 10 | 7 | Etiene Medeiros | Brazil | 25.45 | |
| 30 | 8 | 2 | Andrea Murez | Israel | 25.48 | |
| 31 | 7 | 4 | Bianca-Andreea Costea | Romania | 25.61 | |
| 32 | 7 | 2 | Jeserik Pinto | Venezuela | 25.65 | |
| 33 | 8 | 7 | Danielle Hill | Ireland | 25.70 | |
| 34 | 6 | 1 | Elinah Phillip | British Virgin Islands | 25.74 | |
| 35 | 7 | 5 | Amel Melih | Algeria | 25.77 | |
| 35 | 7 | 7 | Karen Torrez | Bolivia | 25.77 | |
| 37 | 8 | 8 | Jenjira Srisa-Ard | Thailand | 25.97 | |
| 38 | 7 | 1 | Huang Mei-chien | Chinese Taipei | 25.99 | |
| 39 | 7 | 8 | Allyson Ponson | Aruba | 26.03 | |
| 40 | 8 | 3 | Quah Ting Wen | Singapore | 26.16 | |
| 41 | 7 | 6 | Cherelle Thompson | Trinidad and Tobago | 26.19 | |
| 42 | 6 | 7 | Nikol Merizaj | Albania | 26.21 | NR |
| 43 | 6 | 6 | Emily Muteti | Kenya | 26.31 | |
| 44 | 5 | 4 | Norah Milanesi | Cameroon | 26.41 | |
| 45 | 6 | 3 | Talita Baqlah | Jordan | 26.49 | |
| 45 | 6 | 5 | Ema Rajić | Croatia | 26.49 | |
| 47 | 6 | 8 | Kirabo Namutebi | Uganda | 26.63 | |
| 48 | 6 | 2 | Natalya Kritinina | Uzbekistan | 26.93 | |
| 49 | 5 | 5 | Mikaili Charlemagne | Saint Lucia | 26.99 | |
| 50 | 5 | 7 | Cheyenne Rova | Fiji | 27.11 | |
| 51 | 5 | 1 | Batbayaryn Enkhkhüslen | Mongolia | 27.29 | NR |
| 52 | 5 | 6 | Tilka Paljk | Zambia | 27.34 | |
| 53 | 4 | 5 | Judith Meauri | Papua New Guinea | 27.56 | |
| 54 | 5 | 3 | Samantha Roberts | Antigua and Barbuda | 27.63 | |
| 55 | 4 | 4 | Aleka Persaud | Guyana | 27.76 | NR |
| 56 | 5 | 8 | Bisma Khan | Pakistan | 27.78 | NR |
| 57 | 5 | 2 | Unilez Takyi | Ghana | 27.85 | |
| 58 | 4 | 1 | Angelika Ouedraogo | Burkina Faso | 28.38 | NR |
| 59 | 4 | 6 | Mya De Freitas | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 28.57 | |
| 60 | 4 | 7 | Noor Yussuf Abdulla | Bahrain | 28.87 | |
| 61 | 4 | 8 | Jessica Makwenda | Malawi | 28.96 | |
| 62 | 3 | 4 | Anastasiya Tyurina | Tajikistan | 29.05 | |
| 63 | 4 | 3 | Noelani Day | Tonga | 29.06 | |
| 64 | 3 | 8 | Siri Arun Budcharern | Laos | 29.22 | |
| 65 | 3 | 5 | Bunpichmorakat Kheun | Cambodia | 29.42 | |
| 66 | 4 | 2 | Alicia Mateus | Mozambique | 29.63 | |
| 67 | 3 | 2 | Lara Dashti | Kuwait | 29.69 | |
| 68 | 3 | 1 | Junayna Ahmed | Bangladesh | 29.78 | NR |
| 69 | 3 | 6 | Nafissath Radji | Benin | 29.99 | |
| 70 | 3 | 3 | Robyn Young | Eswatini | 30.41 | |
| 71 | 3 | 7 | Dania Nour | Palestine | 30.43 | |
| 72 | 2 | 1 | Alphonsine Agahozo | Rwanda | 30.50 | |
| 73 | 2 | 2 | Osisang Chilton | Palau | 30.67 | |
| 74 | 2 | 4 | Tity Dumbuya | Sierra Leone | 31.56 | |
| 75 | 2 | 6 | Chloe Sauvourel | Central African Republic | 32.18 | |
| 76 | 2 | 3 | Roukaya Mahamane | Niger | 32.21 | |
| 77 | 2 | 7 | Aya Mpali | Gabon | 32.24 | |
| 78 | 1 | 4 | Imelda Ximenes Belo | East Timor | 32.89 | |
| 79 | 1 | 3 | Odrina Kaze | Burundi | 33.39 | |
| 80 | 1 | 5 | Haneen Ibrahim | Sudan | 34.49 | |
| 81 | 2 | 8 | Bellore Sangala | Republic of the Congo | 37.92 | |
| | 2 | 5 | Nada Arkaji | Qatar | DNS | |
| | 11 | 2 | Anna Hopkin | Great Britain | DNS | |

### Semifinals

The swimmers with the best 8 times, regardless of heat, advanced to the final.
| 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 |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | Zhang Yufei | China | 24.32 | QSO, WD |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | Arina Surkova | ROC | 24.57 | |
| 11 | 2 | 1 | Mélanie Henique | France | 24.63 | |
| 11 | 2 | 7 | Simone Manuel | United States | 24.63 | |
| 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

| 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 | |
| 5 | 8 | Wu Qingfeng | China | 24.32 | |
| 7 | 7 | Cate Campbell | Australia | 24.36 | |
| 8 | 6 | Abbey Weitzeil | United States | 24.41 | |