| | Final A |  | time | gap | L | Y | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 1. Janet Evans |  United States | 8:20.20 | OR | 5 | 17 | 2:04.04 | 4:10.06 | 6:15.60 |  | 2. Astrid Strauss |  East Germany | 8:22.09 | +1.89s | 4 | 19 | 2:05.03 | 4:12.96 | 6:18.48 |  | 3. Julie Mcdonald |  Australia | 8:22.93 | +2.73s | 3 | 18 | 2:06.97 | 4:14.73 | 6:09.81 |  | 4. Anke Mohring |  East Germany | 8:23.09 | +2.89s | 6 | 19 | 2:05.87 | 4:14.01 | 6:19.80 |  | 5. Tami Bruce |  United States | 8:30.86 | +10.66s | 2 | 21 | 2:06.90 | 4:15.08 | 6:22.99 |  | 6. Janelle Elford |  Australia | 8:30.94 | +10.74s | 7 | 18 | 2:06.06 | 4:14.48 | 6:22.99 |  | 7. Isabelle Arnould |  Belgium | 8:37.47 | +17.27s | 1 | 17 | 2:07.92 | 4:17.73 | 6:27.51 |  | 8. Antoaneta Strumenlieva |  Bulgaria | 8:41.05 | +20.85s | 8 | 20 | 2:05.94 | 4:15.80 | 6:28.22 | 
 | World Record: Janet Evans, United States 8:17.12 Orlando, United States 22 March 1988 |  | Olympic Record: Tiffani Cohen, United States 8:24.96 Los Angeles, United States 3 August 1984 | 
 |
 | Heats - Friday, 23rd September |  | Best 8 times advanced to Final. | 
 | Heat 4 |  | time | gap | L | Y | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 1. Julie Mcdonald |  Australia | 8:29.68 | +1.61s | - | 18 | 3. | 2:07.46 | 4:16.87 | 6:23.93 |  | 2. Anke Mohring |  East Germany | 8:30.95 | +2.88s | - | 19 | 4. | 2:06.35 | 4:15.65 | 6:24.18 |  | 3. Isabelle Arnould |  Belgium | 8:34.56 | +6.49s | - | 17 | 7. | 2:09.01 | 4:17.90 | 6:26.15 |  | 4. Irene Dalby |  Norway | 8:38.33 | +10.26s | - | 17 | 10. | 2:08.27 | 4:18.75 | 6:28.73 |  | 5. Tomomi Hosoda |  Japan | 8:39.55 | +11.48s | - | 17 | 11. | 2:09.58 | 4:20.52 | 6:31.06 |  | 6. Natalya Trefilova |  Soviet Union | 8:43.19 | +15.12s | - | 17 | 15. | 2:07.24 | 4:18.33 | 6:30.98 |  | 7. Pernille Poulsgaard Jensen |  Denmark | 8:50.82 | +22.75s | - | 15 | 18. | 2:10.48 | 4:24.07 | 6:38.04 |  | 8. Yan Ming |  China | 9:00.81 | +32.74s | - | 18 | 26. | 2:11.48 | 4:27.32 | 6:42.39 | 
 | Heat 3 |  | time | gap | L | Y | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 1. Astrid Strauss |  East Germany | 8:28.07 |  | - | 19 | 1. | 2:06.55 | 4:14.78 | 6:22.99 |  | 2. Janet Evans |  United States | 8:28.13 | +0.06s | - | 17 | 2. | 2:06.70 | 4:14.69 | 6:22.99 |  | 3. Debby Wurzburger |  Canada | 8:36.24 | +8.17s | - | 18 | 9. | 2:08.02 | 4:17.70 | 6:27.67 |  | 4. Stephanie Ortwig |  West Germany | 8:41.95 | +13.88s | - | 15 | 14. | 2:11.51 | 4:23.17 | 6:33.49 |  | 5. Karen Mellor |  Great Britain | 8:44.64 | +16.57s | - | 19 | 16. | 2:08.12 | 4:18.98 | 6:31.47 |  | 6. Nurul Huda Ch' Su-Lin |  Malaysia | 8:50.84 | +22.77s | - | 16 | 19. | 2:07.53 | 4:19.52 | 6:34.99 |  | 7. Christelle Janssens |  Belgium | 8:51.22 | +23.15s | - | 16 | 20. | 2:11.60 | 4:24.96 | 6:38.39 |  | 8. Judit Csabai |  Hungary | 8:56.37 | +28.30s | - | 15 | 23. | 2:08.83 | 4:23.91 | 6:40.08 | 
 | Heat 2 |  | time | gap | L | Y | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 1. Tami Bruce |  United States | 8:31.57 | +3.50s | - | 21 | 5. | 2:08.06 | 4:17.37 | 6:25.60 |  | 2. Janelle Elford |  Australia | 8:32.14 | +4.07s | - | 18 | 6. | 2:07.25 | 4:16.68 | 6:25.32 |  | 3. Antoaneta Strumenlieva |  Bulgaria | 8:35.40 | +7.33s | - | 20 | 8. | 2:06.19 | 4:16.55 | 6:25.62 |  | 4. Manuela Melchiorri |  Italy | 8:40.63 | +12.56s | - | 18 | 12. | 2:08.15 | 4:18.58 | 6:29.35 |  | 5. Karyn Faure |  France | 8:41.64 | +13.57s | - | 19 | 13. | 2:08.98 | 4:20.16 | 6:31.34 |  | 6. Alexandra Russ |  West Germany | 8:49.31 | +21.24s | - | 18 | 17. | 2:09.02 | 4:21.83 | 6:35.87 |  | 7. Eva Mortensen |  Denmark | 8:53.67 | +25.60s | - | 18 | 22. | 2:09.31 | 4:22.72 | 6:38.63 |  | 8. Cecile Prunier |  France | 8:57.22 | +29.15s | - | 19 | 24. | 2:10.47 | 4:25.44 | 6:41.29 | 
 | Heat 1 |  | time | gap | L | Y | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 1. Patricia Amorim |  Brazil | 8:51.95 | +23.88s | - | 19 | 21. | 2:11.46 | 4:25.79 | 6:39.75 |  | 2. Tracey Anne Atkin |  Great Britain | 9:00.04 | +31.97s | - | 17 | 25. | 2:11.17 | 4:26.06 | 6:42.27 |  | 3. Rita Garay |  Puerto Rico | 9:04.62 | +36.55s | - | 17 | 27. | 2:11.71 | 4:29.39 | 6:47.55 | 
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