| 1 | Jacqueline Börner (Senior) | GDR | 41.66 | (8) | | 4:19.86 | (1) | PB | 2:04.54 | (4) | PB | 7:31.51 | (4) | PB | 171.634 | TR | - |
| 2 | Seiko Hashimoto (Senior) | JPN | 40.22 | (1) | SB | 4:28.66 | (10) | SB | 2:03.80 | (2) | NR | 7:37.75 | (10) | SB | 172.037 | PB | +0.403 |
| 3 | Constanze Moser (Senior) | GDR | 41.62 | (7) | SB | 4:27.59 | (8) | | 2:03.91 | (3) | SB | 7:29.88 | (3) | PB | 172.509 | PB | +0.875 |
| 4 | Herma Emmens-Meijer (Neo) | NED | 41.09 | (2) | SB | 4:27.62 | (9) | PB | 2:05.98 | (6) | PB | 7:37.65 | (9) | PB | 173.451 | NR | +1.817 |
| 5 | Heike Schalling (Senior) | GDR | 43.05 | (21) | SB | 4:21.61 | (3) | SB | 2:06.95 | (10) | SB | 7:28.37 | (1) | SB | 173.804 | SB | +2.170 |
| 6 | Ljudmila Prokasjeva (Neo) | URS | 41.84 | (10) | | 4:27.53 | (7) | | 2:06.46 | (8) | SB | 7:33.34 | (8) | SB | 173.915 | | +2.281 |
| 7 | Elena Belci-Dal Farra (Senior) | ITA | 42.88 | (19) | | 4:23.39 | (4) | NR | 2:07.80 | (13) | NR | 7:28.75 | (2) | NR | 174.253 | NR | +2.619 |
| 8 | Lia van Schie (A2) | NED | 42.74 | (16) | SB | 4:25.84 | (5) | NRJ, TRJ | 2:06.27 | (7) | NRJ, TRJ | 7:31.99 | (5) | WRJ, TRJ | 174.335 | WRJ, TRJ | +2.701 |
| 9 | Xiuli Wang (Senior) | CHN | 41.25 | (4) | NR | 4:32.21 | (18) | PB | 2:03.34 | (1) | NR | 7:52.46 | (15) | PB | 174.977 | NR | +3.343 |
| 10 | Emese Nemeth-Hunyady (Senior) | AUT | 41.85 | (11) | SB | 4:29.68 | (12) | SB | 2:05.90 | (5) | NR | 7:47.72 | (13) | NR | 175.534 | SB | +3.900 |
| 11 | Natsue Seki (Senior) | JPN | 42.46 | (13) | | 4:30.54 | (14) | SB | 2:07.89 | (14) | PB | 7:41.52 | (11) | PB | 176.332 | PB | +4.698 |
| 12 | Hanneke de Vries (M30) | NED | 44.32 | (23) | | 4:26.07 | (6) | NRM | 2:09.56 | (21) | NRM | 7:32.53 | (7) | NRM | 177.104 | NRM | +5.470 |
| 13 | Jelena Lapuga-Konotopova (Senior) | URS | 42.75 | (17) | | 4:31.62 | (16) | | 2:07.59 | (11) | | 7:47.00 | (12) | SB | 177.250 | | +5.616 |
| 14 | Svetlana Sjurova-Bojko (Senior) | URS | 44.39 | (24) | | 4:30.27 | (13) | | 2:09.34 | (20) | | 7:32.14 | (6) | SB | 177.762 | TR | +6.128 |
| 15 | Moira d'Andrea (Neo) | USA | 55.58 | (25) | | 4:30.63 | (15) | SB | 2:07.93 | (15) | | 7:48.80 | (14) | SB | 190.208 | TR, SB | +18.574 |
| 16 | Sandra Voetelink (A2) | NED | 1:01.62 | (26) | | 4:29.23 | (11) | PB | 2:07.66 | (12) | SB | 7:58.24 | (16) | SB | 196.868 | TR | +25.234 |
| 17 | Irina Abdullina (Senior) | URS | 42.12 | (12) | | 4:33.44 | (20) | | 2:06.79 | (9) | | - | | | 129.956 | | -41.678 |
| 18 | Caroline Maheux (Neo) | CAN | 41.45 | (5) | SB | 4:31.84 | (17) | | 2:09.75 | (22) | SB | - | | | 130.006 | | -41.628 |
| 19 | Zofia Tokarczyk (Senior) | POL | 41.12 | (3) | PB | 4:38.02 | (24) | SB | 2:08.88 | (17) | SB | - | | | 130.416 | | -41.218 |
| 20 | Michelle Kline (Neo) | USA | 41.74 | (9) | | 4:35.43 | (22) | | 2:08.82 | (16) | SB | - | | | 130.585 | | -41.049 |
| 21 | Ariane Loignon (Senior) | CAN | 42.48 | (14) | | 4:33.47 | (21) | | 2:09.89 | (23) | SB | - | | | 131.354 | | -40.280 |
| 22 | Heidi Skjeggestad (Neo) | NOR | 43.07 | (22) | | 4:33.15 | (19) | PB | 2:09.25 | (19) | PB | - | | | 131.678 | | -39.956 |
| 23 | Anja Mischke (Neo) | FRG | 42.99 | (20) | | 4:35.77 | (23) | | 2:11.41 | (25) | | - | | | 132.754 | | -38.880 |
| 24 | Chantal Côté (Senior) | CAN | 42.56 | (15) | | 4:40.14 | (25) | | 2:11.02 | (24) | | - | | | 132.923 | | -38.711 |
| Gunda Kleemann (Neo) | GDR | 41.45 | (5) | | 4:20.15 | (2) | SB | DQ | | | - | | | 84.808 | | - |
| Jasmin Krohn (Neo) | SWE | 42.75 | (17) | PB | DQ | | | 2:08.96 | (18) | | - | | | 85.736 | | - |