| Heat 1 | | time | | | 1. Theresia Kiesl |  Austria | 4:14.20 | Q | | 2. Małgorzata Rydz |  Poland | 4:14.35 | Q | | 3. Catalina Gheorghiu |  Romania | 4:14.40 | Q | | 4. Yekaterina Podkopayeva |  Russia | 4:14.44 | q | | 6. Mayte Zúñiga |  Spain | 4:16.06 | q | | 9. Sylvia Kühnemund |  Germany | 4:17.82 | q | | 14.Anila Kasati-Mekshi |  Albania | 4:24.18 | |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 5. Carla Sacramento |  Portugal | 4:15.75 | Q | | 7. Simona Ionescu | Romania | 4:16.15 | Q | | 8. Frédérique Quentin |  France | 4:16.71 | Q | | 10.Yelena Bychukovskaya |  Belarus | 4:18.05 | | | 11.Cristina Petite | Spain | 4:18.31 | | | 12.Debbie Gunning |  Great Britain | 4:18.32 | | | 13.Freda Davoren |  Ireland | 4:20.54 | |
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