| Final | time | +time | L |   |  | 1. Dana Vollmer |  USA | 55.98s | WR | 04 |  Times |  | 2. Ying Lu |  CHN | 56.87s | +0.89s | 07 |  Times |  | 3. Alicia Coutts |  AUS | 56.94s | +0.96s | 05 |  Times |  | 4. Sarah Sjostrom |  SWE | 57.17s | +1.19s | 06 |  Times |  | 5. Ilaria Bianchi |  ITA | 57.27s | +1.29s | 08 |  Times |  | 6. Jeanette Ottesen Gray |  DEN | 57.35s | +1.37s | 03 |  Times |  | 7. Claire Donahue |  USA | 57.48s | +1.50s | 02 |  Times |  | 8. Ellen Gandy |  GBR | 57.76s | +1.78s | 01 |  Times |   
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   |  | Dana Vollmer |   
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| Semi 1 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Sarah Sjostrom |  SWE | 57.27s |   | 05 | 4. |  Times |  | 2. Ying Lu |  CHN | 57.51s | +0.24s | 04 | 6. |  Times |  | 3. Liuyang Jiao |  CHN | 58.04s | +0.77s | 03 | 9. |  Times |  | 4. Li Tao |  SIN | 58.18s | +0.91s | 02 | 10. |  Times |  | 5. Yuka Kato |  JPN | 58.26s | +0.99s | 01 | 11. |  Times |  | 6. Aliaksandra Herasimenia |  BLR | 58.41s | +1.14s | 07 | 13. |  Times |  | 7. Francesca Halsall |  GBR | 58.52s | +1.25s | 06 | 14. |  Times |  | 8. Katerine Savard |  CAN | 59.22s | +1.95s | 08 | 16. |  Times |   
| Semi 2 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Dana Vollmer |  USA | 56.36s |   | 04 | 1. |  Times |  | 2. Alicia Coutts |  AUS | 56.85s | +0.49s | 05 | 2. |  Times |  | 3. Jeanette Ottesen Gray |  DEN | 57.25s | +0.89s | 03 | 3. |  Times |  | 4. Claire Donahue |  USA | 57.42s | +1.06s | 06 | 5. |  Times |  | 5. Ellen Gandy |  GBR | 57.66s | +1.30s | 02 | 7. |  Times |  | 6. Ilaria Bianchi |  ITA | 57.79s | +1.43s | 07 | 8. |  Times |  | 7. Kristel Vourna |  GRE | 58.31s | +1.95s | 08 | 12. |  Times |  | 8. Martina Granstrom |  SWE | 58.95s | +2.59s | 01 | 15. |  Times |   
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|   | S | F |  | Semi 1 |   | 3  |  | Semi 2 |   | 5  |  | Heat 6 | 5 | 4 |  | Heat 5 | 5 | 3 |  | Heat 4 | 6 | 1 |  | Heat 3  |  | Heat 2  |  | Heat 1  |   
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| Heat 6 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Dana Vollmer |  USA | 56.25s | OR | 04 | 1. |  Times |  | 2. Ying Lu |  CHN | 57.17s | +0.92s | 05 | 2. |  Times |  | 3. Jeanette Ottesen Gray |  DEN | 57.64s | +1.39s | 07 | 5. |  Times |  | 4. Liuyang Jiao |  CHN | 57.71s | +1.46s | 06 | 6. |  Times |  | 5. Claire Donahue |  USA | 58.06s | +1.81s | 03 | 7. |  Times |  | 6. Kimberly Buys |  BEL | 58.79s | +2.54s | 08 | 19. |  Times |  | 7. Ingvild Snildal |  NOR | 59.01s | +2.76s | 02 | 22. |  Times |  | 8. Daynara Paula |  BRA | 1:00.14 | +3.89s | 01 | 33. |  Times |   
| Heat 5 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Sarah Sjostrom |  SWE | 57.45s |   | 04 | 4. |  Times |  | 2. Ellen Gandy |  GBR | 58.25s | +0.80s | 05 | 9. |  Times |  | 3. Inge Dekker |  NED | 58.30s | +0.85s | 03 | 10. |  Times |  | 4. Ilaria Bianchi |  ITA | 58.42s | +0.97s | 07 | 12. |  Times |  | 5. Martina Granstrom |  SWE | 58.70s | +1.25s | 02 | 14. |  Times |  | 6. Katerine Savard |  CAN | 58.76s | +1.31s | 06 | 17. |  Times |  | 7. Amit Ivry |  ISR | 58.78s | +1.33s | 08 | 18. |  Times |  | 8. Natsumi Hoshi |  JPN | 59.06s | +1.61s | 01 | 23. |  Times |   
| Heat 4 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Alicia Coutts |  AUS | 57.36s |   | 04 | 3. |  Times |  | 2. Francesca Halsall |  GBR | 58.23s | +0.87s | 05 | 8. |  Times |  | 3. Li Tao |  SIN | 58.34s | +0.98s | 08 | 11. |  Times |  | 4. Aliaksandra Herasimenia |  BLR | 58.50s | +1.14s | 02 | 13. |  Times |  | 5. Yuka Kato |  JPN | 58.72s | +1.36s | 03 | 15. |  Times |  | 6. Kristel Vourna |  GRE | 58.74s | +1.38s | 07 | 16. |  Times |  | 7. Alexandra Wenk |  GER | 58.85s | +1.49s | 01 | 21. |  Times |  | 8. Jessicah Schipper |  AUS | 59.17s | +1.81s | 06 | 24. |  Times |   
| Heat 3 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Irina Bespalova |  RUS | 58.79s |   | 03 | 19. |  Times |  | 2. Otylia Jedrzejczak |  POL | 59.31s | +0.52s | 05 | 25. |  Times |  | 3. Denisa Smolenova |  SVK | 59.48s | +0.69s | 07 | 28. |  Times |  | 4. Emilia Pikkarainen |  FIN | 59.55s | +0.76s | 06 | 29. |  Times |  | 5. Hannah Wilson |  HKG | 59.59s | +0.80s | 01 | 30. |  Times |  | 6. Liliana Szilagyi |  HUN | 1:00.34 | +1.55s | 02 | 34. |  Times |  | 7. Sara Oliveira |  POR | 1:00.44 | +1.65s | 08 | 36. |  Times |  | 8. Birgit Koschischek |  AUT | 1:00.54 | +1.75s | 04 | 37. |  Times |   
| Heat 2 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Danielle Villars |  SUI | 59.42s |   | 03 | 26. |  Times |  | 1. Judit Ignacio Sorribes |  ESP | 59.42s |   | 04 | 26. |  Times |  | 3. Sara Isakovic |  SLO | 59.86s | +0.44s | 07 | 31. |  Times |  | 4. Sarah Blake Bateman |  ISL | 59.87s | +0.45s | 02 | 32. |  Times |  | 5. Triin Aljand |  EST | 1:00.43 | +1.01s | 06 | 35. |  Times |  | 6. Justine Bruno |  FRA | 1:01.14 | +1.72s | 05 | 38. |  Times |  | 7. Dalia Torrez Zamora |  NCA | 1:05.42 | +6.00s | 01 | 39. |  Times |   
| Heat 1 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Noel Borshi |  ALB | 1:05.49 |   | 04 | 40. |  Times |  | 2. Mcmenemy Dorian |  DOM | 1:05.78 | +0.29s | 03 | 41. |  Times |  | 3. Marie Meza |  CRC | 1:07.01 | +1.52s | 05 | 42. |  Times |   
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|  Total eligible to participate 42 swimmers. Started 42. |   
|  Olympic Qualifying Time - 58.70s - 12+11 |  | Alicia Coutts | AUS | 3. | Jessicah Schipper | AUS | 24. |  | Jiao Liuyang | CHN | 9. | Lu Ying | CHN | 2. |  | Ellen Gandy | GBR | 8. | Francesca Halsall | GBR | 14. |  | Natsumi Hoshi | JPN | 11. | Yuka Kato | JPN | 23. |  | Sarah Sjöström | SWE | 4. | Martina Granström | SWE | 15. |  | Dana Vollmer | USA | 1. | Claire Donahue | USA | 7. |  | Aliaksandra Herasimenia | BLR | 13. |  | Kimberly Buys | BEL | 19. |  | Daynara de Paula | BRA | 33. |  | Katerine Savard | CAN | 16. |  | Jeanette Ottesen | DEN | 6. |  | Alexandra Wenk | GER | 21. |  | Kristel Vourna | GRE | 12. |  | Amit Ivri | ISR | 18. |  | Ilaria Bianchi | ITA | 5. |  | Inge Dekker | NED | 17. |  | Ingvild Snildal | NOR | 22. |   
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|  Olympic Selection Time - 1:00.75 - 15 |  | Tao Li | SIN | 58.78s | 10. |  | Birgit Koschischek | AUT | 58.80s | 37. |  | Otylia Jędrzejczak | POL | qoe | 25. |  | Irina Bespalova | RUS | 58.89s | 19. |  | Emilia Pikkarainen | FIN | 59.02s | 29. |  | Liliana Szilagyi | HUN | 59.07s | 34. |  | Denisa Smolenová | SVK | 59.14s | 28. |  | Hannah Wilson | HKG | 59.17s | 30. |  | Sara Oliveira | POR | 59.19s | 36. |  | Judit Ignacio | ESP | qoe | 26. |  | Justine Bruno | FRA | qoe | 38. |  | Danielle Villars | SUI | 59.57s | 26. |  | Triin Aljand | EST | qoe | 35. |  | Sarah Bateman | ISL | qoe | 32. |  | Sara Isakovič | SLO | qoe | 31. |   
 Sophie Batchelor (NZL) 58.71s not enough for NZOC.
 
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|  Wildcard Places - 4 |  | Noel Borshi | ALB | 40. |  | Marie Laura Meza | CRC | 42. |  | Dorian McMenemy | DOM | 41. |  | Dalia Torrez | NCA | 39. |   
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| Olympic Qualification time | time | place | date | birth |  | 1. Dana Vollmer | USA | 56.42s | Omaha(USA) | 25.06.2012 | 13/11/1987 |  | 2. Sarah Sjoestroem | SWE | 56.79s | London(GBR) | 03.03.2012 | 17/08/1993 |  | 3. Alicia Coutts | AUS | 56.94s | Shanghai(CHN) | 24.07.2011 | 14/09/1987 |  | 4. Ying Lu | CHN | 57.06s | Shanghai(CHN) | 24.07.2011 | 22/01/1989 |  | 5. Ellen Gandy | GBR | 57.25s | London(GBR) | 03.03.2012 | 15/08/1991 |  | 6. Francesca Halsall | GBR | 57.44s | Sheffield(GBR) | 14.06.2011 | 12/04/1990 |  | 7. Claire Donahue | USA | 57.57s | Omaha(USA) | 25.06.2012 | 12/01/1989 |  | 8. Inge Dekker | NED | 57.62s | Amsterdam(NED) | 11.03.2011 | 18/08/1985 |  | 9. Yuka Kato | JPN | 57.77s | Tokyo(JPN) | 02.04.2012 | 30/10/1986 |  | 10.Katerine Savard | CAN | 57.80s | Toronto(CAN) | 25.11.2011 | 26/05/1993 |  | 11.Liuyang Jiao | CHN | 57.80s | Shaoxing(CHN) | 01.04.2012 | 06/08/1991 |  | 12.Jessicah Schipper | AUS | 57.86s | Shanghai(CHN) | 24.07.2011 | 19/11/1986 |  | 13.Ingvild Snildal | NOR | 58.04s | Debrecen(HUN) | 21.05.2012 | 25/08/1988 |  | 14.Martina Granstroem | SWE | 58.07s | Debrecen(HUN) | 21.05.2012 | 05/08/1991 |  | 15.Aliaksandra Herasimenia | BLR | 58.22s | Brest(BLR) | 25.04.2012 | 31/12/1985 |  | 16.Jeanette Ottesen | DEN | 58.24s | Shanghai(CHN) | 24.07.2011 | 30/12/1987 |  | 17.Ilaria Bianchi | ITA | 58.31s | Debrecen(HUN) | 21.05.2012 | 06/01/1990 |  | 18.Kristel Vourna | GRE | 58.39s | Banja Luka(BIH) | 28.05.2011 | 11/02/1992 |  | 19.Daynara Paula | BRA | 58.56s | Rio de Janeiro(BRA) | 20.04.2011 | 25/07/1989 |  | 20.Natsumi Hoshi | JPN | 58.57s | Tokyo(JPN) | 25.05.2012 | 21/08/1990 |  | 21.Alexandra Wenk | GER | 58.59s | Berlin(GER) | 10.05.2012 | 07/02/1995 |  | 22.Kimberly Buys | BEL | 58.63s | Antwerpen(BEL) | 20.01.2012 | 23/04/1989 |  | 23.Amit Ivry | ISR | 58.64s | Debrecen(HUN) | 21.05.2012 | 02/09/1989 |   
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