| Final | | time | | | 1. Violeta Szekely |  Romania | 4:12.82 | | | 2. Olga Kuznetsova |  Russia | 4:13.45 | | | 3. Yuliya Kosenkova | Russia | 4:13.60 | | | 4. Sinead Delahunty |  Ireland | 4:15.87 | | | 5. Patricia Djaté-Taillard |  France | 4:17.69 | | | 5. Dorina Briand-Calenic | France | 4:18.70 | | | 6. Aysen Barak |  Turkey | 4:19.21 | | | -. Kathleen Friedrich |  Germany | DNF | | | -. Lyubov Kremlyova | Russia | DNF | |
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| | | First - from each Heat and next Best - advanced to Final. |
| Heat 1 | | time | | | 3. Violeta Szekely | Romania | 4:15.11 | Q | | 4. Olga Kuznetsova | Russia | 4:15.25 | Q | | 5. Kathleen Friedrich | Germany | 4:15.43 | Q | | 7. Patricia Djaté-Taillard | France | 4:16.32 | q | | 10.Elena Buhăianu-Iagăr | Romania | 4:17.64 | | | 11.Sara Palmas |  Italy | 4:18.28 | PB | | -. Rocío Rodríguez |  Spain | DNF | |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 1. Yuliya Kosenkova | Russia | 4:13.28 | Q | | 2. Sinead Delahunty | Ireland | 4:13.94 | Q | | 6. Lyubov Kremlyova | Russia | 4:15.88 | Q | | 8. Aysen Barak | Turkey | 4:17.12 | q | | 9. Dorina Briand-Calenic | France | 4:17.18 | q, PB | | -. Lidia Chojecka |  Poland | DNF | | | -. Carmen Wüstenhagen | Germany | DNF | | | -. Gabriela Szabo | Romania | DNS | |
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