| Final 20.30h | time | L | | 1. Cathy Freeman | AUS | 49.67s | 5 | | 2. Anja Rucker | GER | 49.74s | 8 | | 3. Lorraine Graham | JAM | 49.92s | 3 | | 4. Falilat Ogunkoya | NGR | 50.03s | 4 | | 5. Katharine Merry | GBR | 50.52s | 1 | | 6. Natalya Nazarova | RUS | 50.61s | 2 | | 7. Grit Breuer | GER | 50.67s | 6 | | 8. Olga Kotlyarova | RUS | 50.72s | 7 |
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| Heat 1 20.05h | time | L | | 1. Falilat Ogunkoya | NGR | 49.96s | 3 | | 2. Lorraine Graham | JAM | 50.05s | 1 | | 3. Anja Rucker | GER | 50.09s | 5 | | 4. Natalya Nazarova | RUS | 50.48s | 6 | | 5. Michele Collins | USA | 50.67s | 4 | | 6. Ana Guevara | MEX | 50.70s | 7 | | 7. Helena Dziurova-Fuchsova | CZE | 50.84s | 8 | | 8. Suziann Reid | USA | 50.90s | 2 |
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| Heat 2 20.12h | time | L | | 1. Cathy Freeman | AUS | 49.76s | 8 | | 2. Grit Breuer | GER | 50.16s | 3 | | 3. Katharine Merry | GBR | 50.21s | 5 | | 4. Olga Kotlyarova | RUS | 50.32s | 7 | | 5. Olabisi Afolabi | NGR | 50.40s | 4 | | 6. Charity Opara | NGR | 50.52s | 6 | | 7. Amy Mbacke Thiam | SEN | 50.77s | 1 | | 8. Maicel Malone-Wallace | USA | 50.93s | 2 |
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| Heat 1 20.15h | time | L | | 1. Charity Opara | NGR | 50.82s | 3 | | 2. Katharine Merry | GBR | 50.86s | 6 | | 3. Helena Dziurova-Fuchsova | CZE | 51.18s | 5 | | 4. Suziann Reid | USA | 51.19s | 4 | | 5. Claudine Williams | JAM | 51.40s | 1 | | 6. Otilia Ruicu | ROM | 51.86s | 8 | | 7. Mireille Nguimgo | CMR | 51.98s | 2 | | 8. Foy Williams | CAN | 54.34s | 7 |
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| Heat 2 20.21h | time | L | | 1. Anja Rucker | GER | 50.62s | 5 | | 2. Michele Collins | USA | 50.75s | 4 | | 3. Lorraine Graham | JAM | 51.02s | 3 | | 4. Olga Kotlyarova | RUS | 51.21s | 1 | | 5. Claudine Komgang | CMR | 51.73s | 6 | | 6. Susan Andrews | AUS | 52.05s | 8 | | 7. Karen Shinkins | IRL | 52.08s | 7 | | 8. Yuxiang Chen | CHN | 52.93s | 2 |
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| Heat 3 20.27h | time | L | | 1. Grit Breuer | GER | 50.41s | 3 | | 2. Olabisi Afolabi | NGR | 50.47s | 4 | | 3. Cathy Freeman | AUS | 50.49s | 6 | | 4. Ana Guevara | MEX | 51.08s | 5 | | 5. Francine Landre | FRA | 52.07s | 7 | | 6. Nadjina Kaltouma | CHA | 52.47s | 8 | | 7. Virna De Angeli | ITA | 52.78s | 1 | | 8. Maria do Carmo Tavares | POR | 52.86s | 2 |
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| Heat 4 20.33h | time | L | | 1. Falilat Ogunkoya | NGR | 50.59s | 3 | | 2. Natalya Nazarova | RUS | 50.77s | 5 | | 3. Maicel Malone-Wallace | USA | 50.82s | 4 | | 4. Amy MbackeThiam | SEN | 51.05s | 6 | | 5. Uta Rohlander | GER | 51.45s | 7 | | 6. Donna Fraser | GBR | 52.01s | 8 | | 7. Jitka Burianova | CZE | 52.52s | 1 | | 8. Damayanthi Darsha-Kobalavithanage | SRI | 53.33s | 2 |
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| Heat 1 20.05h | time | L | | 1. Grit Breuer | GER | 51.13s | 5 | | 2. Michele Collins | USA | 51.14s | 8 | | 3. Ana Guevara | MEX | 51.23s | 4 | | 4. Virna DeAngeli | ITA | 52.60s | 2 | | 5. Leanie VanDerWalt | RSA | 53.53s | 7 | | 6. Zoila Stewart | CRC | 54.55s | 3 | | 7. Yelena Piskunova | UZB | 55.44s | 6 |
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| Heat 2 20.12h | time | L | | 1. Maicel Malone-Wallace | USA | 51.13s | 8 | | 2. Lorraine Graham | JAM | 51.32s | 3 | | 3. Uta Rohlander | GER | 51.87s | 6 | | 4. Francine Landre | FRA | 52.07s | 2 | | 5. Tonique Williams | BAH | 52.95s | 4 | | 6. Svetlana Bodritskaya | KZK | 53.74s | 7 | | 7. Ann Mooney | PNG | 57.30s | 5 |
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| Heat 3 20.19h | time | L | | 1. Charity Opara | NGR | 51.42s | 6 | | 2. Natalya Nazarova | RUS | 52.25s | 1 | | 3. Jitka Burianova | CZE | 52.49s | 2 | | 4. Damayanthi Darsha-Kobalavithanage | SRI | 52.68s | 7 | | 5. Tracey Barnes | JAM | 53.41s | 3 | | 6. Kristina Perica | CRO | 53.52s | 8 | | 7. Diala AlChabi | LIB | 57.22s | 5 | | 8. Donata Mutegwamaso | RWA | 1:00.04 | 4 |
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| Heat 4 20.26h | time | L | | 1. Falilat Ogunkoya | NGR | 51.43s | 6 | | 2. Amy MbackeThiam | SEN | 51.59s | 4 | | 3. Claudine Komgang | CMR | 51.68s | 3 | | 4. Karen Shinkins | IRL | 52.12s | 5 | | 5. MariadoCarmo Tavares | POR | 52.74s | 7 | | 6. Louise Ayetotche | CIV | 55.44s | 8 | | 7. Hazel-Ann Regis | GRN | 57.64s | 2 |
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| Heat 5 20.33h | time | L | | 1. Katharine Merry | GBR | 51.48s | 8 | | 2. Helena Dziurova-Fuchsova | CZE | 51.71s | 6 | | 3. Nadjina Kaltouma | CHA | 51.90s | 4 | | 4. Susan Andrews | AUS | 51.99s | 2 | | 5. Otilia Ruicu | ROM | 52.04s | 1 | | 6. Yuxiang Chen | CHN | 52.76s | 7 | | 7. Maritza Figueroa | NCA | 57.64s | 5 | | -. Ony Paule Ratsimbazafy | MAD | DNS | 3 |
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| Heat 6 20.40h | time | L | | 1. Cathy Freeman | AUS | 51.49s | 8 | | 2. Olabisi Afolabi | NGR | 51.50s | 6 | | 3. Olga Kotlyarova | RUS | 51.70s | 4 | | 4. Mireille Nguimgo | CMR | 51.89s | 5 | | 5. Donna Fraser | GBR | 52.38s | 2 | | 6. Lisette Ferri | ESP | 54.50s | 7 | | 7. Dijana Kojic | BSH | 56.08s | 3 |
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| Heat 7 20.47h | time | L | | 1. Anja Rucker | GER | 51.09s | 7 | | 2. Suziann Reid | USA | 51.94s | 1 | | 3. Claudine Williams | JAM | 52.01s | 4 | | 4. Foy Williams | CAN | 53.07s | 2 | | 5. Grace Dinkins | LBR | 53.25s | 3 | | 6. Melissa Straker | BAR | 53.97s | 6 | | -. Haoulatta Ahmed | COM | DQ | 5 | | -. Lee Naylor | AUS | DQ | 8 |
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