# Swimming at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 50 metre butterfly

The women's 50 metre butterfly event at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships took place 26 July. The heats and semifinals took place 25 July, with the final being held on 26 July.

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing world and championship records were as follows:
| World record | Inge de Bruijn (NED) | 25.64 | Sheffield, United Kingdom | 26 May 2000 |
| Championship record | New event | New event | New event | New event |
The following record was established during the competition:
| Date | Round | Name | Nation | Time | Record |
| 25 July | Heat 5 | Natalie Coughlin | United States | 26.52 | CR |
| 25 July | Semifinal 1 | Inge de Bruijn | Netherlands | 26.10 | CR |
| 26 July | Final | Inge de Bruijn | Netherlands | 25.90 | CR |

## Results
### Heats

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Natalie Coughlin | United States | 26.52 | Q, CR |
| 2 | Inge de Bruijn | Netherlands | 26.63 | Q |
| 3 | Karen Egdal | Denmark | 26.89 | Q |
| 4 | Petria Thomas | Australia | 27.01 | Q |
| 5 | Vered Borochovski | Israel | 27.02 | Q |
| 6 | Anna-Karin Kammerling | Sweden | 27.05 | Q |
| 7 | Junko Onishi | Japan | 27.11 | Q |
| 8 | Ruan Yi | China | 27.16 | Q |
| 9 | Therese Alshammar | Sweden | 27.19 | Q |
| 10 | Alison Sheppard | United Kingdom | 27.33 | Q |
| 11 | Fabienne Dufour | Belgium | 27.39 | Q |
| 12 | Natalia Soutiagina | Russia | 27.40 | Q |
| 13 | Otylia Jędrzejczak | Poland | 27.47 | Q |
| 14 | Alena Popchanka | Belarus | 27.51 | Q |
| 15 | Urska Slapsak | Slovenia | 27.53 | Q |
| 16 | Mary Descenza | United States | 27.54 | Q |
| 17 | Julia Ham | Australia | 27.61 | |
| 18 | Judith Draxler | Austria | 27.64 | |
| 19 | Chantal Groot | Netherlands | 27.84 | |
| 20 | Inna Yaitskaya | Russia | 27.88 | |
| 21 | Anna Kopatchenia | Belarus | 28.04 | |
| 22 | Angela San Juan | Spain | 28.04 | |
| 23 | Leah Martindale | Barbados | 28.27 | |
| 24 | Yuko Nakanishi | Japan | 28.32 | |
| 25 | Sophia Skou | Denmark | 28.42 | |
| 26 | Tine Bossuyt | Belgium | 28.46 | |
| 27 | Audrey Lacroix | Canada | 28.47 | |
| 28 | Sharntelle McLean | Trinidad and Tobago | 29.00 | |
| 29 | Julie Douglas | Ireland | 29.02 | |
| 30 | Shim Min-Ji | South Korea | 29.10 | |
| 31 | Ayse Diker | Turkey | 29.15 | |
| 32 | Natalia Roubina | Cyprus | 29.42 | |
| 33 | Jacqueline Lim | Singapore | 29.63 | |
| 34 | Xenavee Pangelinan | Northern Mariana Islands | 29.75 | |
| 35 | Yang Chin-Kuei | Chinese Taipei | 29.82 | |
| 36 | Sung Yi-Chieh | Chinese Taipei | 29.85 | |
| 37 | Weng Tong Cheong | Macau | 30.55 | |
| 38 | Ayeisha Collymore | Trinidad and Tobago | 31.36 | |
| 39 | Nicole Hayes | Palau | 31.81 | |
| 40 | Wai Man Lam | Macau | 32.17 | |
| 41 | Khadija Ciss | Senegal | 32.34 | |
| 42 | Xenia Peni | Papua New Guinea | 32.53 | |
| 43 | Lasm Quissoh Genevieve Meledje | Ivory Coast | 32.75 | |
| 44 | Monika Bakale | Republic of the Congo | 34.32 | |
| 45 | Amanda Onyango | Kenya | 35.46 | |

### Semifinals

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Inge de Bruijn | Netherlands | 26.10 | Q, CR |
| 2 | Therese Alshammar | Sweden | 26.18 | Q |
| 3 | Anna-Karin Kammerling | Sweden | 26.56 | Q |
| 4 | Natalie Coughlin | United States | 26.64 | Q |
| 5 | Petria Thomas | Australia | 26.78 | Q |
| 6 | Karen Egdal | Denmark | 26.87 | Q |
| 7 | Otylia Jędrzejczak | Poland | 27.05 | Q |
| 8 | Ruan Yi | China | 27.10 | Q |
| 9 | Urska Slapsak | Slovenia | 27.12 | |
| 10 | Alison Sheppard | United Kingdom | 27.15 | |
| 11 | Junko Onishi | Japan | 27.17 | |
| 12 | Mary Descenza | United States | 27.18 | |
| 12 | Vered Borochovski | Israel | 27.18 | |
| 14 | Natalia Soutiagina | Russia | 27.46 | |
| 15 | Fabienne Dufour | Belgium | 27.49 | |
| 16 | Alena Popchanka | Belarus | 27.69 | |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | Inge de Bruijn | Netherlands | 25.90 | CR |
| | Therese Alshammar | Sweden | 26.18 | |
| | Anna-Karin Kammerling | Sweden | 26.45 | |
| 4 | Natalie Coughlin | United States | 26.70 | |
| 5 | Petria Thomas | Australia | 26.91 | |
| 6 | Otylia Jędrzejczak | Poland | 27.02 | |
| 7 | Karen Egdal | Denmark | 27.03 | |
| 8 | Ruan Yi | China | 27.19 | |