| Final | | time | | | 1. Svetlana Pospelova |  Russia | 51.66s | PB | | 2. Natalya Nazarova | Russia | 51.69s | | | 3. Helena Fuchsová |  Czechia | 52.32s | | | 4. Karen Shinkins |  Ireland | 53.15s | | | -. Daniela Georgieva |  Bulgaria | DQ | | | -. Claudia Marx |  Germany | DNF | |
|
|
|
| | First - from each Semi advanced to Final. |
| Semi 1 | | time | | | 1. Natalya Nazarova | Russia | 51.79s | Q | | 4. Helena Fuchsová | Czechia | 52.45s | Q | | 5. Claudia Marx | Germany | 52.65s | Q | | 8. Irina Rosikhina | Russia | 53.05s | | | 10.Virna De Angeli |  Italy | 53.37s | | | 11.Otilia Ruicu |  Romania | 53.44s | |
|
|
| Semi 2 | | time | | | 2. Svetlana Pospelova | Russia | 52.24s | Q | | 3. Daniela Georgieva | Bulgaria | 52.32s | Q | | 6. Karen Shinkins | Ireland | 52.80s | Q, NR | | 7. Jitka Burianová | Czechia | 52.96s | | | 9. Gudrun Arnardóttir |  Iceland | 53.14s | | | -. Anja Rücker | Germany | DNF | |
|
|
| | | First - from each Heat and next Best 4 advanced to Semi-Finals. |
| Heat 1 | | time | | | 2. Natalya Nazarova | Russia | 52.07s | Q | | 4. Daniela Georgieva | Bulgaria | 52.67s | Q | | 5. Claudia Marx | Germany | 52.76s | Q | | 10.Virna De Angeli | Italy | 53.30s | q | | 11.Otilia Ruicu | Romania | 53.40s | q, PB |
|
|
| Heat 2 | | time | | | 6. Helena Fuchsová | Czechia | 52.88s | Q | | 7. Irina Rosikhina | Russia | 52.97s | Q | | 9. Karen Shinkins | Ireland | 53.20s | Q | | 13.Žana Minina |  Lithuania | 53.82s | | | 14.Francesca Carbone | Italy | 53.86s | | | 16.Georgeta Lazar | Romania | 54.49s | |
|
| Heat 3 | | time | | | 1. Svetlana Pospelova | Russia | 51.84s | Q, PB | | 3. Anja Rücker | Germany | 52.39s | Q | | 8. Jitka Burianová | Czechia | 53.10s | Q | | 12.Gudrun Arnardóttir | Iceland | 53.60s | q, SB | | 14.Marie-Louise Bévis |  France | 53.86s | | | 17.Andrea Burlacu | Romania | 55.20s | |
|
|
|
| 