The competition consisted of three main rounds (heats, semifinals, and finals) as well as a repechage. The 15 boats were divided into three heats for the first round, with 5 boats in each heat. The top three boats in each heat (9 boats total) advanced directly to the semifinals. The remaining 6 boats were placed in the repechage. The repechage featured a single heat. The top three boats in the repechage advanced to the main semifinals. The remaining three boats (4th through 6th in the repechage) were placed in the "C" final to compete for 13th through 15th places.
The 12 semifinalist boats were divided into two heats of 6 boats each. The top three boats in each semifinal (6 boats total) advanced to the "A" final to compete for medals and 4th through 6th place; the bottom three boats in each semifinal were sent to the "B" final for 7th through 12th.[2]
