| Final | time | | | 1. Hassiba Boulmerka |  Algeria | 3:55.30 | | | 2. Lyudmila Rogachova |  Unified Team | 3:56.91 | | | 3. Qu Yunxia |  China | 3:57.08 | | | 4. Tetyana Dorovskikh |  Unified Team | 3:57.92 | | | 5. Liu Li |  China | 4:00.20 | | | 6. Maite Zúñiga |  Spain | 4:00.59 | | | 7. Małgorzata Rydz |  Poland | 4:01.91 | | | 8. Yekaterina Podkopayeva | Unified Team | 4:02.03 | | | 9. Maria de Lurdes Mutola |  Mozambique | 4:02.60 | | | 10.PattiSue Plumer |  United States | 4:03.42 | | | 11.Elena Fidatov |  Romania | 4:06.44 | | | -. Doina Melinte | Romania | DNF | |
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| | | Venue: Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc 67,007. | | -- competitors from -- nations. |
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| Semi 1 | time | | | 1. Hassiba Boulmerka |  Algeria | 4:03.81 | | | 2. Lyudmila Rogachova | Unified Team | 4:03.85 | | | 3. Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Mozambique | 4:04.20 | | | 4. Liu Li | China | 4:04.35 | | | 5. Elena Fidatov | Romania | 4:04.55 | | | 6. Angela Chalmers |  Canada | 4:04.87 | | | 7. Violeta Beclea | Romania | 4:05.46 | | | 8. Letitia Vriesde |  Suriname | 4:09.64 | | | 9. Kirsty Wade |  Great Britain | 4:11.36 | | | 10.Maria Akraka |  Sweden | 4:14.30 | | | 11.Anna Brzezińska | Poland | 4:15.53 | | | 12.Regina Jacobs | United States | 4:21.55 | | | 13.Marie Pierre Duros |  France | 4:26.61 | |
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| Semi 2 | time | | | 1. Tetyana Dorovskikh | Unified Team | 4:03.79 | | | 2. Małgorzata Rydz | Poland | 4:03.83 | | | 3. Qu Yunxia | China | 4:03.86 | | | 4. Yekaterina Podkopayeva | Unified Team | 4:03.93 | | | 5. Maite Zúñiga | Spain | 4:04.00 | | | 6. PattiSue Plumer | United States | 4:04.23 | | | 7. Doina Melinte | Romania | 4:04.42 | | | 8. Paula Schnurr | Canada | 4:04.80 | | | 9. Carla Sacramento |  Portugal | 4:05.54 | | | 10.Fabia Trabaldo |  Italy | 4:06.05 | | | 11.Sonia O'Sullivan |  Ireland | 4:06.24 | | | 12.Theresia Kiesl |  Austria | 4:07.46 | | | 13.Debbie Bowker | Canada | 4:12.50 | |
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| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Hassiba Boulmerka | Algeria | 4:09.91 | | | 2. Tetyana Dorovskikh | Unified Team | 4:09.94 | | | 3. Paula Schnurr | Canada | 4:09.99 | | | 4. Elena Fidatov | Romania | 4:10.00 | | | 5. Carla Sacramento | Portugal | 4:10.01 | | | 6. Liu Li | China | 4:10.08 | | | 7. Marie-Pierre Duros | France | 4:10.14 | | | 8. Maxine Newman | Great Britain | 4:15.16 | | | 9. Simone Meier |  Switzerland | 4:15.64 | | | 10.Susan Sirma |  Kenya | 4:17.73 | | | 11.Suzy Favor | United States | 4:22.36 | | | 12.Laurence Niyonsaba |  Rwanda | 4:24.87 | | | 13.Bigna Samuel |  Saint Vincent Gren. | 4:33.41 | | | 14.Mantokoane Pitso |  Lesotho | 4:39.96 | | | 15.Rosemary Turare |  Papua New Guinea | 5:10.52 | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Maite Zúñiga | Spain | 4:07.82 | | | 2. Doina Melinte | Romania | 4:08.58 | | | 3. Małgorzata Rydz | Poland | 4:09.47 | | | 4. Lyudmila Rogachova | Unified Team | 4:09.54 | | | 5. Letitia Vriesde | Suriname | 4:10.63 | | | 6. Debbie Bowker | Canada | 4:11.27 | | | 7. Regina Jacobs | United States | 4:13.87 | | | 8. Sriyani Dhammika Manike |  Sri Lanka | 4:26.22 | | | 9. Carol Galea |  Malta | 4:33.41 | | | 10.Rosalie Gangué |  Chad | 5:06.31 | | | -. Ann Williams | Great Britain | DQ | | | -. Fabia Trabaldo | Italy | DNF | | | -. Maria Akraka | Sweden | DNF | | | -. Ellen Kießling |  Germany | DNF | |
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| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Qu Yunxia | China | 4:07.40 | | | 2. Yekaterina Podkopayeva | Unified Team | 4:07.55 | | | 3. Maria de Lurdes Mutola | Mozambique | 4:07.59 | | | 4. Violeta Beclea | Romania | 4:07.60 | | | 5. Sonia O'Sullivan | Ireland | 4:07.70 | | | 6. Angela Chalmers | Canada | 4:07.75 | | | 7. Theresia Kiesl | Austria | 4:07.81 | | | 8. Kirsty Wade | Great Britain | 4:08.30 | | | 9. Anna Brzezińska | Poland | 4:08.35 | | | 10.PattiSue Plumer | United States | 4:09.47 | | | 11.Getenesh Urge |  Ethiopia | 4:18.09 | | | 12.Khin Khin Htwe |  Myanmar | 4:18.81 | | | 13.Brigitte Nganaye |  Central Africa | 4:33.57 | NR | | 14.Ana Isabel Elias |  Angola | 4:33.66 | |
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