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

Other contenders included Hacker, trying to come back from a disappointing Final B performance in 2004; Ondřej Synek of the Czech Republic, with a silver and two bronze medals in the last three Worlds; Fernández, the reigning Pan American champion, and Alan Campbell of Great Britain, the Diamond Challenge Sculls winner in 2007.

[2] Cameroon, Colombia, Honduras, Iran, Lithuania, Monaco, and Venezuela each made their debut in the event.

Great Britain and the United States each made their 20th appearance, tied for most among nations.

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 top four boats in each heat advanced to the quarterfinals, while all others were relegated to the E/F semifinals.

Placing in the quarterfinal heats determined which semifinal the boat would race in.

Fourth through sixth place boats went to the C/D semifinals, ultimately ranked 13th through 24th.