Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband defended his Olympic title in the event, outside the record time of 48.17. Roland Mark Schoeman, who solidified South Africa's triumph to break a world record in the 400 m freestyle relay, took home the silver in 48.23. Australia's Ian Thorpe edged out Schoeman's teammate Ryk Neethling to clinch a bronze medal by 0.07 of a second, in his personal best of 48.56.[2][3]
Two-time Olympic champion Alexander Popov finished only in ninth place by just two hundredths of a second (0.02) outside the top 8 field from the semifinals (49.23).[4] By the following year, Popov announced his retirement from swimming, and became a full-time member of the International Olympic Committee. Other notable swimmers who missed the final cut featured France's Frédérick Bousquet, Lithuania's Rolandas Gimbutis, Trinidad and Tobago's George Bovell, and U.S. duo Jason Lezak and Ian Crocker. This became the first 100m freestyle where not a single American even qualified for the semifinals.
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
{{World Olympic Record| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | {{sortname|Pieter|van den Hoogenband}} | {{flagIOC|NED|2004 Summer}} | 48.70 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | 4 | {{sortname|Rolandas|Gimbutis}} | {{flagIOC|LTU|2004 Summer}} | 48.85 | Q |
| 7 | 5 | {{sortname|Ryk|Neethling}} | {{flagIOC|RSA|2004 Summer}} | Q |
| 4 | 6 | 1 | {{sortname|Duje|Draganja}} | {{flagIOC|CRO|2004 Summer}} | 49.07 | Q |
| 5 | 7 | 2 | {{sortname|Frédérick|Bousquet}} | {{flagIOC|FRA|2004 Summer}} | 49.08 | Q |
| 6 | 8 | 5 | {{sortname|Ian|Thorpe}} | {{flagIOC|AUS|2004 Summer}} | 49.17 | Q |
| 7 | 9 | 1 | {{sortname|Romain|Barnier}} | {{flagIOC|FRA|2004 Summer}} | 49.49 | Q |
| 8 | 9 | 5 | {{sortname|Alexander|Popov|dab=swimmer}} | {{flagIOC|RUS|2004 Summer}} | 49.51 | Q |
| 9 | 8 | 3 | {{sortname|Andrey|Kapralov}} | {{flagIOC|RUS|2004 Summer}} | 49.52 | Q |
| 10 | 7 | 7 | {{sortname|Peter|Mankoč}} | {{flagIOC|SLO|2004 Summer}} | 49.54 | Q |
| 11 | 9 | 3 | {{sortname|Filippo|Magnini}} | {{flagIOC|ITA|2004 Summer}} | 49.58 | Q |
| 12 | 8 | 8 | {{sortname|George|Bovell}} | {{flagIOC|TRI|2004 Summer}} | 49.61 | Q |
| 13 | 8 | 4 | {{sortname|Roland Mark|Schoeman}} | {{flagIOC|RSA|2004 Summer}} | 49.68 | Q |
| 14 | 6 | 2 | {{sortname|Luis|Rojas|dab=swimmer}} | {{flagIOC|VEN|2004 Summer}} | 49.69 | Q |
| 15 | 7 | 1 | {{sortname|Torsten|Spanneberg}} | {{flagIOC|GER|2004 Summer}} | 49.71 | Q |
| 16 | 9 | 2 | {{sortname|Salim|Iles}} | {{flagIOC|ALG|2004 Summer}} | 49.72 | Q |
| 17 | 6 | 6 | {{sortname|Yuriy|Yegoshin}} | {{flagIOC|UKR|2004 Summer}} | 49.73 |
| 7 | 3 | {{sortname|Ian|Crocker}} | {{flagIOC|USA|2004 Summer}} |
| 19 | 8 | 1 | {{sortname|Milorad|Čavić}} | {{flagIOC|SCG|2004 Summer}} | 49.74 |
| 20 | 6 | 8 | {{sortname|Stefan|Nystrand}} | {{flagIOC|SWE|2004 Summer}} | 49.75 |
| 21 | 9 | 4 | {{sortname|Jason|Lezak}} | {{flagIOC|USA|2004 Summer}} | 49.87 |
| 22 | 6 | 4 | {{sortname|Karel|Novy}} | {{flagIOC|SUI|2004 Summer}} | 49.93 |
| 23 | 6 | 5 | {{sortname|Matthew|Kidd}} | {{flagIOC|GBR|2004 Summer}} | 49.97 |
| 24 | 9 | 7 | {{sortname|José|Meolans}} | {{flagIOC|ARG|2004 Summer}} | 49.98 |
| 25 | 8 | 2 | {{sortname|Lorenzo|Vismara}} | {{flagIOC|ITA|2004 Summer}} | 50.03 |
| 26 | 9 | 8 | {{sortname|Tiago|Venâncio}} | {{flagIOC|POR|2004 Summer}} | 50.18 |
| 27 | 5 | 8 | {{sortname|Yoshihiro|Okumura}} | {{flagIOC|JPN|2004 Summer}} | 50.24 |
| 28 | 6 | 3 | {{sortname|Attila|Zubor}} | {{flagIOC|HUN|2004 Summer}} | 50.26 |
| 29 | 5 | 6 | {{sortname|Stanislau|Neviarouski}} | {{flagIOC|BLR|2004 Summer}} | 50.36 |
| 30 | 8 | 7 | {{sortname|Eduardo|Lorente}} | {{flagIOC|ESP|2004 Summer}} | 50.48 |
| 31 | 8 | 6 | {{sortname|Ashley|Callus}} | {{flagIOC|AUS|2004 Summer}} | 50.56 |
| 32 | 5 | 5 | {{sortname|Aristeidis|Grigoriadis}} | {{flagIOC|GRE|2004 Summer}} | 50.61 |
| 33 | 6 | 7 | {{sortname|Jader|Souza}} | {{flagIOC|BRA|2004 Summer}} | 50.67 |
| 5 | 2 | {{sortname|Matti|Rajakylä}} | {{flagIOC|FIN|2004 Summer}} |
| 35 | 4 | 6 | {{sortname|Romāns|Miloslavskis}} | {{flagIOC|LAT|2004 Summer}} | 50.94 |
| 36 | 9 | 6 | {{sortname|Stephan|Kunzelmann}} | {{flagIOC|GER|2004 Summer}} | 50.98 |
| 37 | 5 | 3 | {{sortname|Danil|Haustov}} | {{flagIOC|EST|2004 Summer}} | 51.02 |
| 38 | 4 | 2 | {{sortname|Alexandros|Aresti}} | {{flagIOC|CYP|2004 Summer}} | 51.10 |
| 39 | 4 | 5 | {{sortname|Ryan|Pini}} | {{flagIOC|PNG|2004 Summer}} | 51.11 |
| 40 | 3 | 3 | {{sortname|Carl|Probert}} | {{flagIOC|FIJ|2004 Summer}} | 51.42 |
| 41 | 4 | 3 | {{sortname|Paul|Kutscher}} | {{flagIOC|URU|2004 Summer}} | 51.45 |
| 42 | 4 | 4 | {{sortname|Kaan|Tayla}} | {{flagIOC|TUR|2004 Summer}} | 51.52 |
| 43 | 5 | 1 | {{sortname|Cameron|Gibson}} | {{flagIOC|NZL|2004 Summer}} | 51.56 |
| 44 | 4 | 1 | {{sortname|George|Gleason}} | {{flagIOC|ISV|2004 Summer}} | 51.69 |
| 45 | 3 | 4 | {{sortname|Lee|Chung-hee|dab=swimmer | Lee, Chung-hee} | {{flagIOC|KOR|2004 Summer}} | 51.74 |
| 3 | 1 | {{sortname|Ismael|Ortiz}} | {{flagIOC|PAN|2004 Summer}} |
| 47 | 2 | 3 | {{sortname|Octavian|Guţu|dab=swimmer}} | {{flagIOC|MDA|2004 Summer}} | 51.84 |
| 48 | 3 | 5 | {{sortname|Damian|Alleyne}} | {{flagIOC|BAR|2004 Summer}} | 51.89 |
| 49 | 3 | 6 | {{sortname|Max|Schnettler}} | {{flagIOC|CHI|2004 Summer}} | 51.91 |
| 50 | 4 | 7 | {{sortname|Allen|Ong}} | {{flagIOC|MAS|2004 Summer}} | 52.04 |
| 51 | 3 | 2 | {{sortname|Vyacheslav|Titarenko}} | {{flagIOC|KAZ|2004 Summer}} | 52.09 |
| 52 | 4 | 8 | {{sortname|Raichin|Antonov}} | {{flagIOC|BUL|2004 Summer}} | 52.33 |
| 53 | 2 | 5 | {{sortname|Camilo|Becerra}} | {{flagIOC|COL|2004 Summer}} | 52.57 |
| 54 | 3 | 8 | {{sortname|Wu|Nien-pin | Wu, Nien-pin} | {{flagIOC|TPE|2004 Summer}} | 52.58 |
| 55 | 2 | 6 | {{sortname|Željko|Panić}} | {{flagIOC|BIH|2004 Summer}} | 52.75 |
| 56 | 3 | 7 | {{sortname|Mark|Chay}} | {{flagIOC|SIN|2004 Summer}} | 52.83 |
| 57 | 2 | 4 | {{sortname|Aleksandr|Agafonov}} | {{flagIOC|UZB|2004 Summer}} | 52.92 |
| 58 | 2 | 1 | {{sortname|Obaid|Al Jasmi}} | {{flagIOC|UAE|2004 Summer}} | 54.17 |
| 59 | 2 | 7 | {{sortname|Onan Orlando|Thom}} | {{flagIOC|GUY|2004 Summer}} | 55.24 |
| 60 | 5 | 7 | {{sortname|Huang|Shaohua}} | {{flagIOC|CHN|2004 Summer}} | 55.46 |
| 61 | 2 | 2 | {{sortname|Babak|Farhoudi}} | {{flagIOC|IRI|2004 Summer}} | 56.42 |
| 62 | 2 | 8 | {{sortname|Jean Laurent|Ravera}} | {{flagIOC|MON|2004 Summer}} | 56.47 |
| 63 | 1 | 2 | {{sortname|Mohammed|Abbas|dab=swimmer}} | {{flagIOC|IRQ|2004 Summer}} | 56.81 |
| 64 | 1 | 6 | {{sortname|Tamir|Andryei}} | {{flagIOC|MGL|2004 Summer}} | 57.29 |
| 65 | 1 | 7 | {{sortname|Leonel|Matonse}} | {{flagIOC|MOZ|2004 Summer}} | 57.79 |
| 66 | 1 | 4 | {{sortname|Hesham|Shehab}} | {{flagIOC|BRN|2004 Summer}} | 57.94 |
| 67 | 1 | 3 | {{sortname|Sergey|Dyachkov}} | {{flagIOC|AZE|2004 Summer}} | 58.26 |
| 68 | 1 | 5 | {{sortname|Mumtaz|Ahmed}} | {{flagIOC|PAK|2004 Summer}} | 59.19 |
| 69 | 1 | 1 | {{sortname|Emery|Nziyunvira}} | {{flagIOC|BDI|2004 Summer}} | 1:09.40 |
| 99|}} | 7 | 6 | {{sortname|Brent|Hayden}} | {{flagIOC|CAN|2004 Summer}} | DNS|Did not start}} |
| 99|}} | 7 | 8 | {{sortname|Rick|Say}} | {{flagIOC|CAN|2004 Summer}} | DNS|Did not start}} |
1. ^{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/schedule/3534120.stm |title=Swimming schedule |publisher=BBC Sport |date=5 August 2004|accessdate=17 June 2007}}
2. ^{{cite news|title=Van den Hoogenband wins 100 meters|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/08/18/swimming.wednesday/|publisher=CNN|date=18 August 2004|accessdate=19 April 2013}}
3. ^{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Stephen|title=Hoogie Takes the 100 Free, Repeats Sydney Win, Schoeman takes Silver, Thorpe the Bronze|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/7881.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=18 August 2004|accessdate=19 April 2013}}
4. ^{{cite news|last=Whitten|first=Phillip|title=Day 4, Semifinals: Schoeman, Hoogie Qualify 1-2 for the 100 Free Final; Popov Is Out|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/7863.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=18 August 2004|accessdate=19 April 2013}}