| Final | time | | 1. Lyudmila Rogachova |  RUS | 4:18.93 | | 2. Kelly Holmes |  GBR | 4:19.30 | | 3. Yekaterina Podkopayeva | RUS | 4:19.37 | | 4. Lyubov Kremlyova | RUS | 4:19.77 | | 5. Malgorzata Rydz |  POL | 4:19.80 | | 6. Carla Sacramento |  POR | 4:20.62 | | 7. Ellen Kiessling |  GER | 4:20.79 | | 8. Maite Zuniga |  ESP | 4:20.83 | | 9. Anna Brzezinska | POL | 4:20.89 | | 10.Maria Akraka |  SWE | 4:21.83 | | 11.Blandine Bitzner |  FRA | 4:22.64 | | 12.Geraldine Nolan |  IRL | 4:23.59 |
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| Round | H | Athl. | date | | Heats | 2 | 25 | 12.08 |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Yekaterina Podkopayeva | RUS | 4:08.72 | | 2. Lyubov Kremlyova | RUS | 4:08.80 | | 3. Anna Brzezinska | POL | 4:09.46 | | 4. Ellen Kiessling | GER | 4:09.81 | | 5. Blandine Bitzner | FRA | 4:10.56 | | 6. Maria Akraka | SWE | 4:10.60 | | 7. Geraldine Nolan | IRL | 4:10.89 | | 8. Frederique Quentin | FRA | 4:11.91 | | 9. Yelena Bychkovskaya |  BLR | 4:12.54 | | 10.Lynn Gibson | GBR | 4:13.89 | | 11.Katharina Orthaber |  SUI | 4:14.11 | | 12.Violeta Beclea |  ROU | 4:20.43 |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Malgorzata Rydz | POL | 4:09.16 | | 2. Lyudmila Rogachova | RUS | 4:09.17 | | 3. Kelly Holmes | GBR | 4:09.27 | | 4. Carla Sacramento | POR | 4:09.52 | | 5. Maite Zuniga | ESP | 4:09.53 | | 6. Angela Davies | GBR | 4:12.09 | | 7. Hilde Stavik |  NOR | 4:12.16 | | 8. Sinead Delahunty | IRL | 4:12.20 | | 9. Antje Beggerow | GER | 4:13.37 | | 10.Marjo Piipponen |  FIN | 4:13.71 | | 11.Farida Fates | FRA | 4:13.72 | | 12.Bettina Andersen |  DEN | 4:15.41 | | -. Sonia O'Sullivan | IRL | DNS |
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