# Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 1500 metres

These are the official results of the Women's 1.500 metres event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There were a total of 32 competitors.

## Medalists

| Gold | Svetlana Masterkova Russia |
| Silver | Gabriela Szabo Romania |
| Bronze | Theresia Kiesl Austria |

## Results
### Heats

Qualification: First 6 in each heat (Q) and the next 6 fastest (q) qualified to the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Gabriela Szabo | Romania | 4:07.32 | Q |
| 2 | 3 | Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 4:07.36 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Regina Jacobs | United States | 4:07.41 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Margaret Crowley | Australia | 4:07.51 | Q |
| 5 | 3 | Małgorzata Rydz | Poland | 4:07.51 | Q |
| 6 | 3 | Lyudmila Rogachova | Russia | 4:07.61 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | Kutre Dulecha | Ethiopia | 4:07.69 | q |
| 8 | 3 | Malin Ewerlöf | Sweden | 4:09.06 | q |
| 9 | 1 | Theresia Kiesl | Austria | 4:09.24 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Svetlana Masterkova | Russia | 4:09.88 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Hassiba Boulmerka | Algeria | 4:09.96 | Q |
| 12 | 1 | Carmen Wüstenhagen | Germany | 4:10.06 | Q |
| 13 | 1 | Sinead Delahunty | Ireland | 4:10.20 | Q |
| 14 | 1 | Gwen Griffiths | South Africa | 4:10.80 | Q |
| 15 | 1 | Anna Brzezińska | Poland | 4:11.06 | q |
| 16 | 1 | Leah Pells | Canada | 4:13.17 | q |
| 17 | 2 | Lyudmila Borisova | Russia | 4:13.29 | Q |
| 18 | 2 | Naomi Mugo | Kenya | 4:13.35 | Q |
| 19 | 2 | Carla Sacramento | Portugal | 4:13.57 | Q |
| 20 | 2 | Cătălina Gheorghiu | Romania | 4:13.82 | Q |
| 21 | 2 | Blandine Bitzner-Ducret | France | 4:13.83 | Q |
| 22 | 2 | Maite Zúñiga | Spain | 4:14.05 | Q |
| 23 | 2 | Sylvia Kühnemund | Germany | 4:14.35 | q |
| 24 | 2 | Natasha Dukhnova | Belarus | 4:14.75 | q |
| 25 | 2 | Vicki Huber | United States | 4:14.82 | |
| 26 | 3 | Marta Domínguez | Spain | 4:15.00 | |
| 27 | 1 | Frédérique Quentin | France | 4:15.95 | |
| 28 | 2 | Sonia O'Sullivan | Ireland | 4:19.77 | |
| 29 | 2 | Petya Strashilova | Bulgaria | 4:26.66 | |
| 30 | 1 | Juli Henner | United States | 4:27.14 | |
| 31 | 3 | Paula Schnurr | Canada | 4:29.67 | |
| 32 | 1 | Khin Khin Htwe | Myanmar | 4:30.64 | |

### Semifinals

Qualification: First 4 in each heat (Q) and the next 2 fastest (q) qualified to the final.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 4:05.88 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Regina Jacobs | United States | 4:06.13 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Margaret Crowley | Australia | 4:06.21 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Leah Pells | Canada | 4:06.26 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Carla Sacramento | Portugal | 4:06.70 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Lyudmila Borisova | Russia | 4:06.89 | q |
| 7 | 2 | Anna Brzezińska | Poland | 4:07.17 | q |
| 8 | 2 | Kutre Dulecha | Ethiopia | 4:09.03 | |
| 9 | 1 | Theresia Kiesl | Austria | 4:09.44 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Gabriela Szabo | Romania | 4:09.83 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Svetlana Masterkova | Russia | 4:10.35 | Q |
| 12 | 1 | Małgorzata Rydz | Poland | 4:10.77 | Q |
| 13 | 1 | Gwen Griffiths | South Africa | 4:11.12 | Q |
| 14 | 1 | Natasha Dukhnova | Belarus | 4:11.43 | |
| 15 | 1 | Carmen Wüstenhagen | Germany | 4:11.47 | |
| 16 | 1 | Blandine Bitzner-Ducret | France | 4:12.27 | |
| 17 | 1 | Sinead Delahunty | Ireland | 4:12.52 | |
| 18 | 2 | Malin Ewerlöf | Sweden | 4:13.85 | |
| 19 | 1 | Maite Zúñiga | Spain | 4:14.10 | |
| 20 | 1 | Lyudmila Rogachova | Russia | 4:14.54 | |
| 21 | 2 | Sylvia Kühnemund | Germany | 4:16.85 | |
| 22 | 2 | Naomi Mugo | Kenya | 4:20.01 | |
| 23 | 1 | Hassiba Boulmerka | Algeria | 4:23.86 | |
| | 2 | Cătălina Gheorghiu | Romania | DQ | |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time |
| | Svetlana Masterkova | Russia | 4:00.83 |
| | Gabriela Szabo | Romania | 4:01.54 |
| | Theresia Kiesl | Austria | 4:03.02 |
| 4 | Leah Pells | Canada | 4:03.56 |
| 5 | Margaret Crowley | Australia | 4:03.79 |
| 6 | Carla Sacramento | Portugal | 4:03.91 |
| 7 | Lyudmila Borisova | Russia | 4:03.56 |
| 8 | Małgorzata Rydz | Poland | 4:05.92 |
| 9 | Gwen Griffiths | South Africa | 4:06.33 |
| 10 | Regina Jacobs | United States | 4:07.21 |
| 11 | Kelly Holmes | Great Britain | 4:07.46 |
| 12 | Anna Brzezińska | Poland | 4:08.27 |