Defending champion Xeno Müller of Switzerland placed second, becoming the 11th man to win multiple medals in the event.

Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather.

The single sculls has been held every time that rowing has been contested, beginning in 1900.

Porter was another contender, with a third-place finish at the latest World Championship (he had also won that event seven years earlier).

[1] Algeria, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Slovakia, and Tunisia each made their debut in the event.

The "scull" portion means that the rower uses two oars, one on each side of the boat; this contrasts with sweep rowing in which each rower has one oar and rows on only one side (not feasible for singles events).

The winning boat in each heat advanced to the semifinals, while all others were relegated to the repechages.

The repechages offered the rowers a chance to qualify for the semi-final.