The women's sprint event in cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics consisted of a series of head-to-head matches in which cyclists made three laps around the track.

Winners advanced to the quarterfinals while the defeated riders received a second chance in the 1/8 repechage.

The 1/8 repechage consisted of two heats of three cyclists, with the six riders that had been defeated in the 1/8 final competing.

The winner of each of the heats returned to the main competition and advanced to the quarterfinal.

The final was a best-of-three match; Muenzer won the first two races to eliminate the need for a third.