| Final | team | time | +time | L |   |  | 1. Camille Muffat |  FRA | 4:01.45 | OR | 04 |  Stats |  | 2. Allison Schmitt |  USA | 4:01.77 | +0.32s | 05 |  Stats |  | 3. Rebecca Adlington |  GBR | 4:03.01 | +1.56s | 08 |  Stats |  | 4. Lotte Friis |  DEN | 4:03.98 | +2.53s | 02 |  Stats |  | 5. Federica Pellegrini |  ITA | 4:04.50 | +3.05s | 01 |  Stats |  | 6. Coralie Balmy |  FRA | 4:05.95 | +4.50s | 03 |  Stats |  | 7. Brittany Maclean |  CAN | 4:06.24 | +4.79s | 07 |  Stats |  | 8. Lauren Boyle |  AUS | 4:06.25 | +4.80s | 06 |  Stats |   
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   |  | Camille Muffat |   
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| Heat 5 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Camille Muffat |  FRA | 4:03.29 |   | 04 | 1. |  Stats |  | 2. Allison Schmitt |  USA | 4:03.31 | +0.02s | 05 | 2. |  Stats |  | 3. Lauren Boyle |  NZL | 4:03.63 | +0.34s | 02 | 4. |  Stats |  | 4. Lotte Friis |  DEN | 4:04.22 | +0.93s | 06 | 5. |  Stats |  | 5. Melania Costa Schmid |  ESP | 4:06.75 | +3.46s | 07 | 9. |  Stats |  | 6. Bronte Barratt |  AUS | 4:07.99 | +4.70s | 03 | 12. |  Stats |  | 7. Boglarka Kapas |  HUN | 4:10.01 | +6.72s | 01 | 17. |  Stats |  | 8. Eva Sokolova |  RUS | 4:12.19 | +8.90s | 03 | 25. |  Stats |   
| Heat 4 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Coralie Balmy |  FRA | 4:03.56 |   | 06 | 3. |  Stats |  | 2. Brittany Maclean |  CAN | 4:05.06 | +1.50s | 02 | 6. |  Stats |  | 3. Federica Pellegrini |  ITA | 4:05.30 | +1.74s | 04 | 7. |  Stats |  | 4. Kylie Palmer |  AUS | 4:07.27 | +3.71s | 05 | 11. |  Stats |  | 5. Yiwen Shao |  CHN | 4:08.41 | +4.85s | 03 | 14. |  Stats |  | 6. Andreina Pinto Perez |  VEN | 4:08.45 | +4.89s | 01 | 15. |  Stats |  | 7. Savannah King |  CAN | 4:10.93 | +7.37s | 07 | 18. |  Stats |  | 8. Grainne Murphy |  IRL | 4:19.07 | +15.51s | 08 | 31. |  Stats |   
| Heat 3 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Rebecca Adlington |  GBR | 4:05.75 |   | 04 | 8. |  Stats |  | 2. Chloe Sutton |  USA | 4:07.07 | +1.32s | 05 | 10. |  Stats |  | 3. Mireia Belmonte Garcia |  ESP | 4:08.23 | +2.48s | 06 | 13. |  Stats |  | 4. Eva Risztov |  HUN | 4:09.08 | +3.33s | 07 | 16. |  Stats |  | 5. Xuanxu Li |  CHN | 4:10.95 | +5.20s | 03 | 19. |  Stats |  | 6. Camelia Potec |  ROU | 4:11.43 | +5.68s | 01 | 20. |  Stats |  | 7. Joanne Jackson |  GBR | 4:11.50 | +5.75s | 02 | 21. |  Stats |  | 8. Wendy Trott |  RSA | 4:11.63 | +5.88s | 08 | 22. |  Stats |   
| Heat 2 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Nina Rangelova |  BUL | 4:11.71 |   | 03 | 23. |  Stats |  | 2. Kristel Kobrich |  CHI | 4:12.02 | +0.31s | 05 | 24. |  Stats |  | 3. Aya Takano |  JPN | 4:12.33 | +0.62s | 04 | 26. |  Stats |  | 4. Julia Hassler |  LIE | 4:12.99 | +1.28s | 02 | 27. |  Stats |  | 5. Susana Escobar Torres |  MEX | 4:14.78 | +3.07s | 06 | 28. |  Stats |  | 6. Natthanan Junkrajang |  THA | 4:16.45 | +4.74s | 08 | 29. |  Stats |  | 7. Lynette Lim |  SIN | 4:18.64 | +6.93s | 01 | 30. |  Stats |  | 8. Gaeul Kim |  KOR | 4:43.46 | +31.75s | 07 | 34. |  Stats |   
| Heat 1 | time | +time | L | Rk. |   |  | 1. Mojca Sagmeister |  SLO | 4:21.55 |   | 04 | 32. |  Stats |  | 2. Andrea Cedron Rodriguez |  PER | 4:24.18 | +2.63s | 05 | 33. |  Stats |  | 3. Jennet Saryyeva |  TKM | 5:40.29 | +1:18.74s | 03 | 35. |  Stats |   
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|   | F |  | Heat 5 | 4 |  | Heat 4 | 3 |  | Heat 3 | 1 |  | Heat 2  |  | Heat 1  |   
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| Total eligible to participate 36 swimmers |   
|  Olympic Qualifying Time - 4:09.35 - 16+5 |  | Kylie Palmer | AUS | 11. | Bronte Barratt | AUS | 12. |  | Brittany MacLean | CAN | 7. | Savannah King | CAN | 18. |  | Li Xuanxu | CHN | 19. | Shao Yiwen | CHN | 14. |  | Camille Muffat | FRA | 1. | Coralie Balmy | FRA | 6. |  | Joanne Jackson | GBR | 21. | Rebecca Adlington | GBR | 3. |  | Boglárka Kapás | HUN | 17. | Éva Risztov | HUN | 16. |  | Mireia Belmonte García | ESP | 13. | Melania Costa | ESP | 9. |  | Allison Schmitt | USA | 2. | Chloe Sutton | USA | 10. |  | Lotte Friis | DEN | 4. |  | Federica Pellegrini | ITA | 5. |  | Lauren Boyle | NZL | 8. |  | Camelia Potec | ROU | 20. |  | Andreína Pinto | VEN | 15. |   
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|  Olympic Selection Time - 4:18.07 - 13 |  | Yelena Sokolova | RUS | 4:09.71 | 25. |  | Grainne Murphy | IRL | qoe | 31. |  | Wendy Trott | RSA | qoe | 22. |  | Aya Takano | JPN | 4:10.74 | 26. |  | Kristel Kobrich | CHI | qoe | 24. |  | Nina Rangelova | BUL | 4:12.21 | 23. |  | Susana Escobar | MEX | 4:13.29 | 28. |  | Julia Hassler | LIE | 4:14.03 | 27. |  | Kim Ga-Eul | KOR | 4:15.01 | 34. |  | Lynette Lim | SIN | 4:15.07 | 30. |  | Natthanan Junkrajang | THA | 4:15.84 | 29. |  | Ranohon Amanova | UZB | 4:15.88 |   |  | Mojca Sagmeister | SLO | 4:1-.-- | 32. |  | Sara El Bekri | MAR | qoe |   |   
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|  Wildcard Places - 2 |  | Andrea Cedron | PER | 33. |  | Jennet Saryyeva | TKM | 35. |   
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| Olympic Qualification time | time | place | date | birth |  | 1. Camille Muffat | FRA | 4:01.13 | Dunkerke(FRA) | 18.03.2012 | 28/10/1989 |  | 2. Federica Pellegrini | ITA | 4:01.97 | Shanghai(CHN) | 24.07.2011 | 05/08/1988 |  | 3. Rebecca Adlington | GBR | 4:02.35 | London(GBR) | 03.03.2012 | 17/02/1989 |  | 4. Allison Schmitt | USA | 4:02.84 | Omaha(USA) | 25.06.2012 | 07/06/1990 |  | 5. Kylie Palmer | AUS | 4:03.40 | Adelaide(AUS) | 15.03.2012 | 25/02/1990 |  | 6. Chloe Sutton | USA | 4:04.18 | Omaha(USA) | 25.06.2012 | 03/02/1992 |  | 7. Bronte Barratt | AUS | 4:04.36 | Sydney(AUS) | 01.04.2011 | 08/02/1989 |  | 8. Yiwen Shao | CHN | 4:04.59 | Rizhao(CHN) | 21.09.2011 | 10/03/1995 |  | 9. Xuanxu Li | CHN | 4:04.62 | Rizhao(CHN) | 21.09.2011 | 05/02/1994 |  | 10.Lotte Friis | DEN | 4:04.68 | Shanghai(CHN) | 24.07.2011 | 09/02/1988 |  | 11.Coralie Balmy | FRA | 4:05.31 | Debrecen(HUN) | 21.05.2012 | 02/06/1987 |  | 12.Mireia Belmonte Garcia | ESP | 4:05.45 | Debrecen(HUN) | 21.05.2012 | 10/11/1990 |  | 13.Lauren Boyle | NZL | 4:05.83 | Auckland(NZL) | 25.03.2012 | 14/12/1987 |  | 14.Brittany MacLean | CAN | 4:06.08 | Montreal(CAN) | 27.03.2012 | 03/03/1994 |  | 15.Joanne Jackson | GBR | 4:06.47 | London(GBR) | 03.03.2012 | 12/09/1986 |  | 16.Melania Costa Schmid | ESP | 4:06.83 | Barcelona(ESP) | 02.06.2012 | 24/04/1989 |  | 17.Savannah King | CAN | 4:07.02 | Montreal(CAN) | 27.03.2012 | 04/06/1992 |  | 18.Eva Risztov | HUN | 4:07.72 | Debrecen(HUN) | 21.05.2012 | 30/08/1985 |  | 19.Boglarka Kapas | HUN | 4:08.22 | Barcelona(ESP) | 04.06.2011 | 22/04/1993 |  | 20.Andreina Pinto | VEN | 4:08.80 | Shanghai(CHN) | 24.07.2011 | 10/09/1991 |  | 21.Camelia Potec | ROU | 4:08.91 | Debrecen(HUN) | 21.05.2012 | 19/02/1982 |   
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