# Swimming at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle

The Women's 400 metre freestyle competition of the swimming events at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships was held on 2 August with the heats and the final.

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing world and championship records were as follows.
| World record | Katie Ledecky (USA) | 3:58.37 | Gold Coast, Australia | 23 August 2014 |
| Competition record | Federica Pellegrini (ITA) | 3:59.15 | Rome, Italy | 26 July 2009 |
The following new records were set during this competition.
| Date | Event | Name | Nationality | Time | Record |
| 2 August | Final | Katie Ledecky | United States | 3:59.13 | CR |

## Results
### Heats

The heats were held at 11:03.
| Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | 4 | Katie Ledecky | United States | 4:01.73 | Q |
| 2 | 5 | 6 | Jessica Ashwood | Australia | 4:04.47 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | 5 | Sharon van Rouwendaal | Netherlands | 4:05.02 | Q |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | Lauren Boyle | New Zealand | 4:05.53 | Q |
| 5 | 5 | 7 | Boglárka Kapás | Hungary | 4:06.21 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | Jazmin Carlin | Great Britain | 4:07.15 | Q |
| 6 | 4 | 6 | Diletta Carli | Italy | 4:07.15 | Q |
| 8 | 5 | 1 | Melania Costa | Spain | 4:07.58 | Q |
| 9 | 5 | 3 | Cierra Runge | United States | 4:07.97 | |
| 10 | 4 | 9 | Anja Klinar | Slovenia | 4:08.57 | |
| 11 | 5 | 8 | Shao Yiwen | China | 4:08.93 | |
| 12 | 4 | 1 | Sarah Köhler | Germany | 4:09.21 | |
| 13 | 5 | 2 | Cao Yue | China | 4:09.60 | |
| 14 | 4 | 3 | Coralie Balmy | France | 4:09.68 | |
| 15 | 4 | 8 | Andreina Pinto | Venezuela | 4:09.75 | |
| 16 | 3 | 5 | Manuella Lyrio | Brazil | 4:10.57 | NR |
| 17 | 4 | 2 | Alice Mizzau | Italy | 4:10.92 | |
| 18 | 3 | 4 | Arina Openysheva | Russia | 4:11.71 | |
| 19 | 5 | 9 | Johanna Friedrich | Germany | 4:12.09 | |
| 20 | 4 | 0 | Chihiro Igarashi | Japan | 4:13.43 | |
| 21 | 4 | 7 | Leah Neale | Australia | 4:13.98 | |
| 22 | 5 | 0 | Emily Overholt | Canada | 4:14.45 | |
| 23 | 3 | 7 | Julia Hassler | Liechtenstein | 4:14.51 | |
| 24 | 2 | 1 | María Álvarez | Colombia | 4:14.60 | NR |
| 25 | 3 | 8 | Monique Olivier | Luxembourg | 4:15.24 | |
| 26 | 3 | 2 | Jo Hyun-ju | South Korea | 4:15.39 | |
| 27 | 2 | 6 | Martina van Berkel | Switzerland | 4:15.83 | |
| 28 | 3 | 3 | Emma Robinson | New Zealand | 4:16.43 | |
| 29 | 3 | 1 | Claudia Hufnagl | Austria | 4:17.14 | |
| 30 | 2 | 7 | Martina Elhenická | Czech Republic | 4:18.57 | |
| 31 | 2 | 2 | Khoo Cai Lin | Malaysia | 4:18.75 | |
| 32 | 2 | 4 | Andrea Cedrón | Peru | 4:18.96 | |
| 33 | 2 | 3 | Rachel Tseng | Singapore | 4:19.97 | |
| 34 | 3 | 6 | Samantha Arévalo | Ecuador | 4:20.47 | |
| 35 | 2 | 0 | Katarina Simonović | Serbia | 4:20.94 | |
| 36 | 2 | 5 | Elisbet Gámez | Cuba | 4:21.36 | |
| 37 | 2 | 8 | Merve Eroğlu | Turkey | 4:24.77 | |
| 38 | 1 | 5 | Daniella van den Berg | Aruba | 4:24.79 | |
| 39 | 3 | 0 | Gabriela Santis | Guatemala | 4:25.92 | |
| 40 | 1 | 2 | Helena Moreno | Costa Rica | 4:26.87 | |
| 41 | 1 | 4 | Lani Cabrera | Barbados | 4:28.31 | |
| 42 | 1 | 3 | Elena Giovannini | San Marino | 4:29.40 | |
| 43 | 1 | 6 | Sara Pastrana | Honduras | 4:32.58 | |
| 44 | 2 | 9 | Talita Te Flan | Ivory Coast | 4:32.72 | |
| 45 | 1 | 7 | Gabriella Doueihy | Lebanon | 4:35.09 | |
| 46 | 3 | 9 | Benjaporn Sriphanomthorn | Thailand | 4:36.55 | |
| 47 | 1 | 1 | Arianna Sanna | Dominican Republic | 4:39.87 | |
| 48 | 1 | 0 | Victoria Chentsova | Northern Mariana Islands | 4:44.15 | |
| 49 | 1 | 8 | Makaela Holowchak | Antigua and Barbuda | 4:47.77 | |

### Final

The final was held at 18:23.
| Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Katie Ledecky | United States | 3:59.13 | CR |
| | 3 | Sharon van Rouwendaal | Netherlands | 4:03.02 | NR |
| | 5 | Jessica Ashwood | Australia | 4:03.34 | OC |
| 4 | 7 | Jazmin Carlin | Great Britain | 4:03.74 | |
| 5 | 6 | Lauren Boyle | New Zealand | 4:04.38 | |
| 6 | 8 | Melania Costa | Spain | 4:06.50 | |
| 7 | 1 | Diletta Carli | Italy | 4:07.30 | |
| 8 | 2 | Boglárka Kapás | Hungary | 4:08.22 | |