[1] Going into the competition, Gretchen Walsh of the USA was the favourite, having set the event's world record at the Olympic Trials.

Also among the favourites were China's Zhang Yufei and USA's Torri Huske, while Canada's Maggie Mac Neil was the defending champion.

Swimming World called Huske's win a "stunning victory", and it was the first time the USA had won gold and silver in the event since 1984.

[4][5] Finally, the rest of the spaces were filled by athletes who had met the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT), which was 58.21 for this event.

[15] Torri Huske started with the fastest reaction time of 0.63 seconds, but by 15 metres Gretchen Walsh had taken first place with a faster dive and underwater.

[16] Matt Nelson, a journalist reporting on olympics.com, called the win a "stunning victory",[18] while David Rieder of Swimming World said "it was a result three years in the making.