Medalists
| Gold |
 Britta Steffen
Germany (GER) |
| Silver |
 Lisbeth Trickett
Australia (AUS) |
| Bronze |
 Natalie Coughlin
United States (USA) |
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World Record |
Libby Trickett (AUS) |
52.88 |
Sydney, Australia |
27 March 2008 |
| Olympic Record |
Jodie Henry (AUS) |
53.52 |
Athens, Greece |
18 August 2004 |
Heats
| Rank |
Heat |
Lane |
Name |
Nationality |
Time |
Notes |
| 1 |
6 |
3 |
Hanna-Maria Seppala |
Finland |
53.60 |
Q |
| 2 |
6 |
4 |
Britta Steffen |
Germany |
53.67 |
Q |
| 3 |
6 |
5 |
Marleen Veldhuis |
Netherlands |
53.76 |
Q |
| 4 |
7 |
5 |
Natalie Coughlin |
United States |
53.82 |
Q |
| 5 |
5 |
6 |
Francesca Halsall |
Great Britain |
53.93 |
Q |
| 6 |
7 |
4 |
Lisbeth Trickett |
Australia |
53.99 |
Q |
| 7 |
6 |
6 |
Pang Jiaying |
China |
54.01 |
Q |
| 8 |
7 |
7 |
Zhu Yingwen |
China |
54.01 |
Q |
| 9 |
4 |
5 |
Jeanette Ottesen |
Denmark |
54.04 |
Q |
| 10 |
6 |
2 |
Josefin Lillhage |
Sweden |
54.07 |
Q |
| 11 |
7 |
3 |
Malia Metella |
France |
54.12 |
Q |
| 12 |
5 |
7 |
Aleksandra Gerasimenya |
Belarus |
54.52 |
Q |
| 13 |
5 |
4 |
Cate Campbell |
Australia |
54.55 |
Q |
| 14 |
5 |
3 |
Lacey Nymeyer |
United States |
54.62 |
Q |
| 15 |
7 |
6 |
Erica Morningstar |
Canada |
54.66 |
Q |
| 16 |
6 |
7 |
Petra Dallmann |
Germany |
54.70 |
Q |
| 17 |
7 |
1 |
Julia Wilkinson |
Canada |
54.70 |
|
| 18 |
5 |
2 |
Alena Popchanka |
France |
54.86 |
|
| 19 |
7 |
8 |
Tatiana Barbosa |
Brazil |
55.01 |
|
| 20 |
6 |
1 |
Agata Ewa Korc |
Poland |
55.14 |
|
| 21 |
6 |
8 |
Lize-Mari Retief |
South Africa |
55.17 |
|
| 22 |
4 |
3 |
Anna Gostomelsky |
Israel |
55.18 |
|
| 23 |
5 |
1 |
Martina Moravcova |
Slovakia |
55.20 |
|
| 24 |
5 |
5 |
Inge Dekker |
Netherlands |
55.23 |
|
| 25 |
4 |
4 |
Anastasia Aksenova |
Russia |
55.29 |
|
| 26 |
3 |
3 |
Hannah Wilson |
Hong Kong, China |
55.32 |
|
| 27 |
4 |
8 |
Darya Stepanyuk |
Ukraine |
55.51 |
| 28 |
3 |
4 |
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace |
Bahamas |
55.61 |
|
| 29 |
3 |
2 |
Birgit Koschischek |
Austria |
55.62 |
|
| 30 |
4 |
8 |
Arlene Semeco |
Venezuela |
55.70 |
|
| 31 |
5 |
8 |
Jana Klusackova |
Czech Republic |
55.92 |
|
| 32 |
3 |
1 |
Chang Heejin |
South Korea |
55.96 |
|
| 33 |
4 |
7 |
Triin Aljand |
Estonia |
56.10 |
|
| 34 |
2 |
5 |
Quah Ting Wen |
Singapore |
56.14 |
|
| 35 |
3 |
5 |
Ragnheidur Ragnarsdottir |
Iceland |
56.35 |
|
| 36 |
3 |
8 |
Anna Stylianou |
Cyprus |
56.38 |
|
| 37 |
3 |
7 |
Eleni Kosti |
Greece |
56.44 |
|
| 38 |
4 |
1 |
Miroslava Najdanovski |
Serbia |
56.50 |
|
| 39 |
2 |
6 |
Natthanan Junkrajang |
Thailand |
56.56 |
|
| 40 |
2 |
4 |
Orsolya Tompa |
Hungary |
56.57 |
|
| 41 |
2 |
7 |
Christel Simms |
Philippines |
56.67 |
|
| 42 |
4 |
6 |
Maria Laura Simonetto |
Italy |
56.72 |
|
| 43 |
2 |
3 |
Nieh Pin-Chieh |
Chinese Taipei |
57.28 |
|
| 44 |
3 |
6 |
Nina Sovinek |
Slovenia |
57.30 |
|
| 45 |
1 |
4 |
Madeleine Scerri |
Malta |
57.97 |
|
| 46 |
2 |
2 |
Irina Shlemova |
Uzbekistan |
58.77 |
|
| 47 |
1 |
5 |
Elena Poppovska |
FYR Macedonia |
59.93 |
|
| 48 |
1 |
6 |
Olga Hachatryan |
Turkmenistan |
1:14.77 |
|
| NC |
7 |
2 |
Caitlin McClatchey |
Great Britain |
DNS |
|
Semifinals
| Rank |
Heat |
Lane |
Swimmer |
Time |
Notes |
| 1 |
1 |
5 |
Natalie Coughlin (USA) |
0:53.70 |
Q |
| 2 |
2 |
5 |
Marleen Veldhuis (NED) |
0:53.81 |
Q |
| 3 |
1 |
6 |
Yingwen Zhu (CHN) |
0:53.84 |
Q, AS |
| 4 |
2 |
4 |
Hanna-Maria Seppala (FIN) |
0:53.84 |
Q |
| 5 |
2 |
3 |
Francesca Halsall (GBR) |
53.94 |
Q |
| 6 |
1 |
4 |
Britta Steffen (GER) |
53.96 |
Q |
| 7 |
2 |
2 |
Jeanette Ottesen (DEN) |
54.05 |
Q |
| 8 |
1 |
3 |
Lisbeth Trickett (AUS) |
54.10 |
Q |
| 9 |
2 |
7 |
Malia Metella (FRA) |
54.20 |
|
| 10 |
2 |
1 |
Cate Campbell (AUS) |
54.54 |
|
| 11 |
1 |
2 |
Josefin Lillhage (SWE) |
54.59 |
|
| 12 |
1 |
1 |
Lacey Nymeyer (USA) |
54.74 |
|
| 13 |
1 |
8 |
Petra Dallmann (GER) |
55.05 |
|
| 14 |
1 |
7 |
Aleksandra Gerasimenya (BLR) |
55.31 |
|
| 15 |
2 |
8 |
Erica Morningstar (CAN) |
55.36 |
|
| 16 |
2 |
6 |
Jiaying Pang (CHN) |
DSQ |
|
Final
| Rank |
Lane |
Name |
Nationality |
Time |
Notes |
| 1 |
7 |
Britta Steffen |
Germany |
53.12 |
OR |
| 2 |
8 |
Lisbeth Trickett |
Australia |
53.16 |
|
| 3 |
4 |
Natalie Coughlin |
United States |
53.39 |
AM |
| 4 |
6 |
Hanna-Maria Seppala |
Finland |
53.97 |
|
| 5 |
1 |
Jeanette Ottesen |
Denmark |
54.06 |
|
| 6 |
3 |
Yingwen Zhu |
China |
54.21 |
|
| 6 |
5 |
Marleen Veldhuis |
Netherlands |
54.21 |
|
| 8 |
2 |
Francesca Halsall |
Great Britain |
54.29 |
|
|
