| Olympic Games/World Champs | Gold | Silver | Bronze | ||||||
| 2022 Women 1500m | Faith Kipyegon |  KEN | 3:54.87 | Dribe Welteji |  ETH | 3:55.69 | Sifan Hassan |  NED | 3:56.00 |
| 2022 Women 1500m | Faith Kipyegon | KEN | 3:52.96 | Gudaf Tsegay | ETH | 3:54.52 | Laura Muir |  GBR | 3:55.28 |
| Olympic 2020 Women 1500m | |||||||||
| 2019 Women 1500m | Sifan Hassan | NED | 3:51.95 | Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon | KEN | 3:54.22 | Gudaf Tsegay | ETH | 3:54.38 |
| 2017 Women 1500m | Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon | KEN | 4:02.59 | Jennifer Simpson |  USA | 4:02.76 | Caster Semenya |  RSA | 4:02.90 |
| Olympic 2016 Women 1500m | Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon | KEN | 4:08.92 | Genzebe Dibaba | ETH | 4:10.27 | Jennifer Simpson | USA | 4:10.53 |
| 2015 Women 1500m | Genzebe Dibaba | ETH | Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon | KEN | Sifan Hassan | NED | |||
| 2013 Women 1500m | Abeba Aregawi |  SWE | Jennifer Simpson | USA | Hellen Onsando Obiri | KEN | |||
| Olympic 2012 Women 1500m | Maryam Yusuf Jamal |  BRN | Tatyana Tomashova |  RUS | Abeba Aregawi | ETH | |||
| 2011 Women 1500m | Jennifer Barringer Simpson | USA | Hannah England | GBR | Natalia Rodriguez |  ESP | |||
| 2009 Women 1500m | Maryam Yusuf Jamal | BRN | Lisa Dobriskey | GBR | Shannon Rowbury | USA | |||
| Olympic 2008 Women 1500m | Nancy Jebet Langat | KEN | Iryna Lishchynska |  UKR | Nataliya Tobias | UKR | |||
| 2007 Women 1500m | Maryam Yusuf Jamal | BRN | Yelena Soboleva | RUS | Iryna Lishchynska | UKR | |||
| 2005 Women 1500m | Tatyana Tomashova | RUS | Olga Yegorova | RUS | Bouchra Ghezielle |  FRA | |||
| Olympic 2004 Women 1500m | Kelly Holmes | GBR | Tatyana Tomashova | RUS | Maria Cioncan |  ROU | |||
| 2003 Women 1500m | Tatyana Tomashova | RUS | Sureyya Ayhan |  TUR | Hayley Tullett | GBR | |||
| 2001 Women 1500m | Gabriela Szabo | ROU | Violeta Szekely | ROU | Natalya Gorelova | RUS | |||
| Olympic 2000 Women 1500m | Nouria Merah-Benida |  ALG | Violeta Beclea-Szekely | ROU | Gabriela Szabo | ROU | |||
| 1999 Women 1500m | Svetlana Masterkova | RUS | Regina Jacobs | USA | Kutre Dulecha | ETH | |||
| 1997 Women 1500m | Carla Sacramento |  POR | Regina Jacobs | USA | Anita Weyermann |  SUI | |||
| Olympic 1996 Women 1500m | Svetlana Masterkova | RUS | Gabriela Szabo | ROU | Theresia Kiesl |  AUT | |||
| 1995 Women 1500m | Hassiba Boulmerka | ALG | Kelly Holmes | GBR | Carla Sacramento | POR | |||
| 1993 Women 1500m | Dong Liu |  CHN | Sonia O'Sullivan |  IRL | Hassiba Boulmerka | ALG | |||
| Olympic 1992 Women 1500m | Hassiba Boulmerka | ALG | Lyudmila Rogachova |  EUN | Qu Yunxia | CHN | |||
| 1991 Women 1500m | Hassiba Boulmerka | ALG | Tatyana Samolenko-Dorovskikh |  URS | Lyudmila Rogachova | URS | |||
| Olympic 1988 Women 1500m | Paula Ivan | ROU | Lailoute Baikauskaite | URS | Tatiana Samolenko | URS | |||
| 1987 Women 1500m | Tatyana Samolenko-Dorovskikh | URS | Hildegard Korner |  GDR | Doina Melinte | ROU | |||
| Olympic 1984 Women 1500m | Gabriella Dorio |  ITA | Doina Melinte | ROU | Maricica Puica | ROU | |||
| 1983 Women 1500m | Mary Decker-Slaney | USA | Zamira Zaitseva | URS | Yekaterina Podkopayeva | URS | |||
| Olympic 1980 Women 1500m | Tatiana Kazankina | URS | Christiane Wartenberg | GDR | Nadezhda Olizarenko | URS | |||
| Olympic 1976 Women 1500m | Tatyana Kazankina | URS | Gunhild Hoffmeister | GDR | Ulrike Klapezynski | GDR | |||
| Olympic 1972 Women 1500m | Ludmila Bragina | URS | Gunhild Hoffmeister | GDR | Paola Cacchi | ITA | |||
