Schooling secured his first Olympic medal representing Singapore with a dominant run through the competition. He led all qualifiers through the preliminary and semifinal rounds to secure the top seed in the finals. His time of 50.39 was not only a personal best, but also an Olympic record. He improved on his previous personal best which he set in the semifinals.
This was exactly the kind of performance that Schooling needed in a highly competitive race that ended with a three-way tie for second place. Michael Phelps, Chad le Clos, and László Cseh all finished the race with a time of 51.