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"I’m really happy with how fast it was and I think it’s only going to get faster," she said. "That’s kind of a confidence-booster. I’m ready to go."
Lu Ying of China was second in 57.17 and Australian Alicia Coutts was third at 57.36. Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden, the world record holder, was fourth at 57.45.
American Claire Donahue moved on in seventh, while British teammates Francesca Hall and Ellen Gandy were eighth and ninth.
Jess Schipper of Australia, the bronze medalist four years ago, was 24th and missed the semifinals by eight spots.
In the 400 free, Sun Yang of China qualified fastest in 3:45.07. American Peter Vanderkaay was second at 3:45.80, followed by his teammates Conor Dwyer in 3:46.24.
Park was surprised by his DQ, saying, "I don’t know why" after he walked off the deck. In Beijing, he became South Korea’s first swimming gold medalist and then won the world title in Shanghai last year.
Biedermann washed out for the second straight Olympics. He also didn’t make it out of the heats in Beijing. He set the world record at the 2009 world meet in Rome at the height of the high-tech body suit craze. Those suits have since been banned.
"It wasn’t so good," he said. "I wanted to lead from the front, but I couldn’t hold it."
World champion Elizabeth Beisel of the United States qualified fastest in the women’s 400 IM at 4:31.68. Ye Shiwen of China was second at 4:31.73.
Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, who trains at the University of Southern California, was third in 4:33.77. Britain’s Hannah Miley got the loudest cheers while advancing to the final in sixth.
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Rice, a triple gold medalist in Beijing who has struggled with shoulder injuries the last three years, was seventh.
"Whew! That took quite a bit out of me," Rice said. "I know that I’ve done everything I could. I’m pretty at peace with the fact that I’m just going to get in there and do my thing and see what happens."
American Caitlin Leverenz got the last spot in the eight-woman final.
Australia had the fastest qualifying time in the 4x100 free relay. Emily Seebohm, Brittany Elmslie, Yolane Kukla and Libby Trickett were timed in 3:36.34.
The U.S. team of Lia Neal, Amanda Weir, Natalie Coughlin and Allison Schmitt was second at 3:36.53.
"I think we did our goal of putting us in a good spot for tonight, which was the main thing," said Coughlin, who has 11 career medals but didn’t qualify to swim any individual events in London.
She has a chance to join Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson as the most decorated U.S. female Olympian if the Americans earn a medal in the evening final, whether or not Coughlin returns to swim. Torres and Thompson both won 12 career medals.
The defending champion Dutch team of Marleen Veldhuis, Inge Dekker, Hinkelien Schreuder and Femke Heemskerk was third at 3:37.76.
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