| Final 16:00 | time | | 1. Dong Liu |  CHN | 4:00.50 | | 2. Sonia O'Sullivan |  IRL | 4:03.48 | | 3. Hassiba Boulmerka |  ALG | 4:04.29 | | 4. Yi Lu | CHN | 4:06.06 | | 5. Angela Chalmers |  CAN | 4:07.95 | | 6. Theresia Kiesl |  AUT | 4:08.04 | | 7. Anna Brzezinska |  POL | 4:08.11 | | 8. Fabia Trabaldo |  ITA | 4:08.23 | | 9. Violeta Beclea-Szekely |  ROM | 4:08.57 | | 10.Wei Yan | CHN | 4:09.05 | | 11.Carla Sacramento |  POR | 4:09.15 | | 12.Maite Zuniga |  ESP | 4:10.79 | | 13.Lyudmila Rogachova |  RUS | 4:12.14 | | 14.Leah Pells | CAN | 4:13.87 | | 15.Oksana Mernikova |  BLR | 4:18.93 |
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| Round | H | Athl. | date | | Heats | 3 | 40 | 20.08 |
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| Heat 1 11:00 | time | | 1. Sonia O'Sullivan | IRL | 4:05.81 | | 2. Yi Lu | CHN | 4:05.97 | | 3. Theresia Kiesl | AUT | 4:06.89 | | 4. Maite Zuniga | ESP | 4:07.46 | | 5. Anna Brzezinska | POL | 4:08.33 | | 6. Bettina Andersen |  DEN | 4:09.75 | | 7. Blandine Bitzner-Ducret |  FRA | 4:10.70 | | 8. Alisa Harvey-Hill |  USA | 4:11.29 | | 9. Sonia Mcgeorge |  GBR | 4:12.93 | | 10.Sarah Howell | CAN | 4:13.40 | | 11.Ravilya Agletdinova-Kotovich | BLR | 4:17.43 | | 12.Laurence Niyonsaba |  RWA | 4:25.70 | | 13.Raj Kumari Pandey |  NEP | 4:49.22 | | -. Lyubov Kremlyova | RUS | DNS |
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| Heat 2 11:10 | time | | 1. Hassiba Boulmerka | ALG | 4:13.13 | | 2. Wei Yan | CHN | 4:13.87 | | 3. Oksana Mernikova | BLR | 4:13.93 | | 4. Angela Chalmers | CAN | 4:13.94 | | 5. Elena Fidatov | ROM | 4:14.34 | | 6. Malgorzata Rydz | POL | 4:14.75 | | 7. Gwen Griffiths |  RSA | 4:14.81 | | 8. Annette Peters | USA | 4:15.15 | | 9. Harumi Hiroyama |  JPN | 4:19.67 | | 10.Vera Chuvashova | RUS | 4:21.33 | | 11.Lyudmila Derevyankina |  KGZ | 4:28.39 | | -. Karolina Tanona |  FIJ | DNS | | -. Alia Al Matari |  JOR | DNS |
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| Heat 3 11:20 | time | | 1. Dong Liu | CHN | 4:04.36 | | 2. Lyudmila Rogachova | RUS | 4:07.52 | | 3. Fabia Trabaldo | ITA | 4:07.95 | | 4. Carla Sacramento | POR | 4:08.32 | | 5. Violeta Beclea-Szekely | ROM | 4:08.82 | | 6. Leah Pells | CAN | 4:08.97 | | 7. Sandra Gasser |  SUI | 4:11.75 | | 8. Andrea Sollarova |  SVK | 4:14.47 | | 9. Soraya Telles |  BRA | 4:18.67 | | 10.Gina Procaccio | USA | 4:29.17 | | 11.Shirley Cespedes |  CRC | 4:42.15 | | 12.Martha Portobanco |  NCA | 4:56.22 | | -. Simone Weidner |  GER | DNF |
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