In the heats, Spain's Carmen Weiler lowered her country's national record to 59.57.

In the final, Smith and Masse led at the halfway point, but McKeown ended up winning the gold with a new Olympic record of 57.33.

Canada's Kylie Masse was the defending Olympic silver medallist in the event, and she finished second at the 2023 Championships.

[2] Both SwimSwam and Swimming World predicted Smith would win, McKeown would take second and Berkoff would take third.

[8] Carmen Weiler broke Spain's national record by 0.19 seconds, setting it at 59.57 to qualify.

[17][18] Later at the Paris Games, Smith broke McKeown's Olympic record with a time of 57.28, which she swam in the opening leg of the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay.