| Final 20:02 |   | time | gap | L | Ag | Rc | pts | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 1. Janet Evans |   United States | 8:29.85 |   | 4 | 23 | - | 893 |  | 2. Hayley Lewis |   Australia | 8:29.94 | +0.09s | 6 | 20 | - | 892 |  | 3. Brooke Bennett |   United States | 8:31.30 | +1.45s | 7 | 14 | - | 885 |  | 4. Jana Henke |   Germany | 8:32.42 | +2.57s | 3 | 20 | - | 879 |  | 5. Ping Luo |   China | 8:33.09 | +3.24s | 5 |   | - | 876 |  | 6. Stacey Gartrell |   Australia | 8:38.70 | +8.85s | 1 | 17 | - | 848 |  | 7. Claudia Maria Poll Ahrens |   Costa Rica | 8:38.79 | +8.94s | 2 | 21 | - | 847 |  | 8. Irene Dalby |   Norway | 8:43.54 | +13.69s | 8 | 23 | - | 824 |   
|
 Heats - Friday, 97th September 12:12 |  | Best 8 times advanced to Final.  |   
| Heat 5 |   | time | gap | L | Ag | Rc | pts | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 3. Jana Henke |   Germany | 8:35.94 | +4.03s | - | 20 | - | 861 | 3. |  | 4. Hayley Lewis |   Australia | 8:36.01 | +4.10s | - | 20 | - | 861 | 4. |  | 8. Irene Dalby |   Norway | 8:40.95 | +9.04s | - | 23 | - | 837 | 8. |  | 15.Ioana Naghi |   Romania | 8:52.36 | +20.45s | - |   | - | 784 | 15. |  | 18.Sandra Cam |   Belgium | 8:53.23 | +21.32s | - | 22 | - | 780 | 18. |  | 20.Guanbin Zhou |   China | 8:56.47 | +24.56s | - |   | - | 766 | 20. |  | -. Karen Allers |   South Africa | DNS |   | - |   | - | - | -. |  | -. Sarah Hardcastle |   Great Britain | DNS |   | - | 25 | - | - | -. |   
| Heat 4 |   | time | gap | L | Ag | Rc | pts | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 5. Claudia Maria Poll Ahrens |   Costa Rica | 8:37.20 | +5.29s | - | 21 | - | 855 | 5. |  | 6. Brooke Bennett |   United States | 8:38.38 | +6.47s | - | 14 | - | 849 | 6. |  | 7. Stacey Gartrell |   Australia | 8:37.81 | +5.90s | - | 17 | - | 852 | 7. |  | 9. Dagmar Hase |   Germany | 8:40.98 | +9.07s | - | 24 | - | 837 | 9. |  | 12.Carla Geurts |   Netherlands | 8:44.89 | +12.98s | - | 23 | - | 818 | 12. |  | 16.Hana Cerna |   Czechia | 8:52.52 | +20.61s | - | 20 | - | 783 | 16. |  | 17.Kirsten Vlieghuis |   Netherlands | 8:52.64 | +20.73s | - | 18 | - | 783 | 17. |  | 22.Caterina Borgato |   Italy | 8:58.87 | +26.96s | - |   | - | 756 | 22. |   
| Heat 3 |   | time | gap | L | Ag | Rc | pts | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 1. Janet Evans |   United States | 8:31.91 |   | - | 23 | - | 882 | 1. |  | 2. Ping Luo |   China | 8:32.40 | +0.49s | - |   | - | 879 | 2. |  | 10.Nikki Dryden |   Canada | 8:41.85 | +9.94s | - | 19 | - | 832 | 10. |  | 11.Philippa Langrell |   New Zealand | 8:43.16 | +11.25s | - | 22 | - | 826 | 11. |  | 13.Itziar Esparza |   Spain | 8:45.38 | +13.47s | - | 19 | - | 816 | 13. |  | 14.Malin Nilsson |   Sweden | 8:49.15 | +17.24s | - | 20 | - | 798 | 14. |  | 23.Alicia Barrancos |   Argentina | 8:59.79 | +27.88s | - | 22 | - | 752 | 23. |  | 25.Petra Passerova |   Czechia | 9:06.16 | +34.25s | - |   | - | 726 | 25. |   
| Heat 2 |   | time | gap | L | Ag | Rc | pts | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 19.Stephanie Richardson |   Canada | 8:53.86 | +21.95s | - | 17 | - | 777 | 19. |  | 21.Britt Wormdal |   Norway | 8:57.89 | +25.98s | - |   | - | 760 | 21. |  | 24.Dayana Vasquez |   Venezuela | 9:05.62 | +33.71s | - |   | - | 728 | 24. |  | 26.Irene Turenius |   Finland | 9:06.21 | +34.30s | - |   | - | 726 | 26. |  | 27.Daniela Nayarenna |   Venezuela | 9:10.34 | +38.43s | - |   | - | 710 | 27. |  | 28.Sonia Alvarez |   Puerto Rico | 9:16.23 | +44.32s | - | 18 | - | 687 | 28. |  | 29.Maritza Chiaway |   Peru | 9:16.38 | +44.47s | - | 19 | - | 687 | 29. |   
| Heat 1 12:12 |   | time | gap | L | Ag | Rc | pts | Rk | 200m | 400m | 600m |  | 30.Chi-Chan Lin |   Chinese Taipei | 9:19.13 | +47.22s | - | 14 | - | 677 | 30. |  | 31.Anita Kruger |   Namibia | 9:30.45 | +58.54s | - |   | - | 637 | 31. |  | 32.Shu-Min Tsai |   Chinese Taipei | 9:34.52 | +1:02.61 | - | 15 | - | 624 | 32. |   
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