In one of the most unexpected results at these Games, Canadian teenager
Penny Oleksiak and U.S. sprinter
Simone Manuel pulled off an enormous upset from Australia's pre-race favorites
Bronte and
Cate Campbell down the home stretch to be in a
dead heat for the gold medal. About midway of the final lap, both Oleksiak and Manuel came from behind to overhaul almost the entire field, before touching the wall simultaneously for an Olympic record in 52.70. Building a new milestone, Manuel became the first ever African-American female to earn an Olympic gold in swimming, while Oleksiak picked up her fourth medal to establish herself as Canada's most successful athlete at a single edition in Summer Olympic history. In later years, she set the record for the most career medals won by a Canadian summer Olympian. Sweden's
Sarah Sjöström captured the bronze with a 52.99 to complete a full set of medals at the Games, edging out Bronte Campbell (53.04) to fourth by a 0.05-second deficit. Dutch sprinter
Ranomi Kromowidjojo missed her chance to defend the title with a fifth-place time in 53.08, while world-record holder Cate Campbell, who broke the existing Olympic record in the heats and then again in the semifinals, slipped to sixth in 53.24. Manuel's teammate
Abbey Weitzeil (53.30) and Denmark's four-time Olympian
Jeanette Ottesen (53.36) rounded out the top eight. In the victory ceremony, the medals for the competition were presented by
James Tomkins, Australia, member of the
International Olympic Committee, and the gifts were presented by
Matthew Dunn, Australia, Bureau Member of
FINA. ==Records==