The event was won by Jason Kenny of Great Britain, the nation's second consecutive victory in the men's sprint.

Two of the quarterfinalists from 2008 returned: silver medalist Jason Kenny of Great Britain and eighth-place finisher Azizulhasni Awang of Malaysia.

The British team, which had both of the finalists at the 2008 Beijing Games (Kenny and champion Chris Hoy), had to choose one because of the rule change that limited nations to one cyclist; Kenny, who had taken silver in the 2011 and 2012 world championships, was selected over Hoy, who had taken bronze in those years.

(Baugé's 2011 title was later stripped due to missed doping tests, retroactively elevating Kenny and Hoy to world champion and runner-up).

The event was a single-elimination tournament, with repechages after the first two rounds, after seeding via time trial.

The first two main rounds featured single head-to-head races, with winners advancing and losers competing in repechages.