The men's 100 metre backstroke event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 7–8 August at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. Ryan Murphy continued the streak of American dominance in the sprint backstroke, as he pulled away from the rest of the field to claim his country's sixth straight Olympic title. He fired off a 51.97 to eclipse Matt Grevers' 2012 Olympic record by 0.19 of a second for the gold, making him the only second swimmer in the event's history besides Aaron Peirsol to break the 52-second barrier and the fastest of all-time in textile. Meanwhile, China's Xu Jiayu put up a brisk effort to take the silver with a 52.31, and spoil the 1–2 finish for the American men. Murphy's fellowman David Plummer, aged 30, finished with a bronze in 52.40 at his maiden Games.