Rowing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's single sculls

This was the 26th appearance of the event. Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather. The single sculls has been held every time that rowing has been contested, beginning in 1900.^[3]

Nine of the 12 A/B semifinalists from the 2008 Games returned, including the top eight finishers: two-time gold medallist Olaf Tufte of Norway, silver medallist Ondřej Synek of the Czech Republic, bronze medallist Mahé Drysdale of New Zealand, fourth-place finisher (and 2004 A finalist) Tim Maeyens of Belgium, fifth-place finisher Alan Campbell of Great Britain, sixth-place finisher Lassi Karonen of Sweden, two-time seventh-place finisher (and 2000 bronze medallist) Marcel Hacker of Germany, eighth-place finisher Mindaugas Griskonis of Lithuania, and eleventh-place finisher Ken Jurkowski of the United States. Drysdale was the favourite again and hoping for better than bronze this time; he had won five of the six World Championships since the 2004 Olympics. Synek was his biggest challenger, having won the 2010 World Championship. The two-time reigning champion, Tufte, was still a strong contender though not at his peak anymore. Campbell had medaled at the last three World Championships and won the 2003, 2007, and 2011 Diamond Challenge Sculls competitions (matching Drysdale's three wins in that event at that point, though Drysdale has won three more since).^[3]

Azerbaijan, Croatia, El Salvador, Niger, and Zimbabwe each made their debut in the event. Great Britain and the United States each made their 21st appearance, tied for most among nations.

Nations had been limited to one boat (one rower) each since 1912. The 33 qualifiers were:

• 11 boats from the 2011 World Championships
• 6 boats from the Asian Qualification Regatta
• 4 boats from the African Qualification Regatta
• 6 boats from the Latin American Qualification Regatta
• 4 boats from the Final Qualification Regatta
• 2 invitational boats

This rowing event is a single scull event, meaning that each boat is propelled by a single rower. The "scull" portion means that the rower uses two oars, one on each side of the boat; this contrasts with sweep rowing in which each rower has one oar and rows on only one side (not feasible for singles events). The competition consists of multiple rounds. The competition expanded to five rounds, keeping the preliminary heats round added in 2008 and restoring the repechage after the first round. Finals were held to determine the placing of each boat; these finals were given letters with those nearer to the beginning of the alphabet meaning a better ranking. Semifinals were named based on which finals they fed, with each semifinal having two possible finals. The course used the 2000 metres distance that became the Olympic standard in 1912.^[4]

During the first round six heats were held. The first three boats in each heat advanced to the quarterfinals, while all others were relegated to the repechages.

The repechage was a round which offered rowers a second chance to qualify for the quarterfinals. Placing in the repechage heats determined which quarterfinal the boat would race in. The top two boats in each repechage heat moved on to the quarterfinals, with the remaining boats going to the E/F semifinals.

The quarterfinals were the second round for rowers still competing for medals. Placing in the quarterfinal heats determined which semifinal the boat would race in. The top three boats in each quarterfinal moved on to the A/B semifinals, with the bottom three boats going to the C/D semifinals.

Six semifinals were held, two each of A/B semifinals, C/D semifinals, and E/F semifinals. For each semifinal race, the top three boats moved on to the better of the two finals, while the bottom three boats went to the lesser of the two finals possible. For example, a second-place finish in an A/B semifinal would result in advancement to the A final.

The fourth and final round was the finals. Each final determined a set of rankings. The A final determined the medals, along with the rest of the places through 6th. The B final gave rankings from 7th to 12th, the C from 13th to 18th, and so on. Thus, to win a medal rowers had to finish in the top three of their heat (or top two of their repechage heat), top three of their quarterfinal, and top three of their A/B semifinal to reach the A final.

All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)

The first three of each heat qualify to the quarterfinals, while the remainder went to the repechage.

The first two in each heat qualified for the quarterfinals; the remainder went to Semifinals E/F and were out of medal contention.

The first three in each heat qualified for the A/B semifinals; the remainder went to the C/D semifinals and were out of medal contention.

The first three in each semifinal advanced to the better of the two finals available (E, C, A) while the remaining boats went to the other final (F, D, B).

• Official page for men's single sculls