The competition exists out of three rounds, each with races of up to nine athletes. In the first round, the sixteen fastest athletes qualify for the semifinals. In the semifinals, the two fastest athletes of each race, as well as the four fastest non-qualifiers advance to the final. The fastest competitor in the final is the winner of the event.
Preview[]
Twenty-seven athletes qualified for the event with Kaylee McKeown as the woman in form after setting an Oceanic record at the national trials. During the qualification period, she had been over a second faster than European champion Margherita Panziera, Rhyan Elizabeth White, and the world champion over 100 metres Kylie Masse. The field also featured the defending silver medalist Katinka Hosszu, five-time Olympic medalist Emily Seebohm, and youngsters Taylor Ruck and Phoebe Bacon. Other potential outsiders also included the silver medalist of the European championships Cassie Wild, Katalin Burian, and Lena Grabowski.
