| Final 19:55 | time |  | 1. Sally Barsosio | KEN | 31:32.92 |  | 2. Fernanda Ribeiro | POR | 31:39.15 |  | 3. Masako Chiba | JPN | 31:41.93 |  | 4. Berhane Adere | ETH | 31:48.95 |  | 5. Xiujuan Ren | CHN | 31:50.63 |  | 6. Tegla Loroupe | KEN | 32:00.93 |  | 7. Siju Yang | CHN | 32:01.61 |  | 8. Colleen De Reuck | RSA | 32:03.81 |  | 9. Silvia Sommaggio | ITA | 32:16.92 |  | 10.Chiemi Takahashi | JPN | 32:23.61 |  | 11.Nora Leticia Rocha | MEX | 32:34.58 |  | 12.Julia Vaquero | ESP | 32:36.91 |  | 13.Annette Peters | USA | 32:43.38 |  | 14.Chantal Dallenbach | FRA | 32:51.20 |  | 15.Annemari Sandell | FIN | 33:00.11 |  | 16.Hiromi Masuda | JPN | 33:03.14 |  | 17.Elana Meyer | RSA | 33:05.82 |  | -. Marleen Renders | BEL | DNF |  | -. Dahmani Zahia | FRA | DNF |  | -. Wami Gete | ETH | DNF |   
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| Round | H | Athl. | date |  | Heats | 2 | 32 | 02.08 |   
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| Heat 1 20:50 | time |  | 1. Nora Leticia Rocha | MEX | 33:07.09 |  | 2. Annemari Sandell | FIN | 33:07.50 |  | 3. Xiujuan Ren | CHN | 33:08.12 |  | 4. Silvia Sommaggio | ITA | 33:08.19 |  | 5. Tegla Loroupe | KEN | 33:08.20 |  | 6. Chiemi Takahashi | JPN | 33:08.26 |  | 7. Zahia Dahmani | FRA | 33:08.68 |  | 8. Elana Meyer | RSA | 33:09.70 |  | 9. Khrysostomia Iakovou | GRE | 33:14.86 |  | 10.Olivera Jevtic | YUG | 33:18.42 |  | 11.Derartu Tulu | ETH | 33:25.99 |  | 12.Gwyn Coogan | USA | 34:06.34 |  | 13.Yvonne Danson | SIN | 37:19.51 |  | 14.Ela Esperanza Obono | GEQ | 45:13.69 |  | -. Marina Bastos | POR | DNF |  | -. Nyla Carroll | NZL | DNF |   
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| Heat 2 21:35 | time |  | 1. Berhane Adere | ETH | 32:05.29 |  | 2. Fernanda Ribeiro | POR | 32:05.65 |  | 3. Sally Barsosio | KEN | 32:05.68 |  | 4. Gete Wami | ETH | 32:05.73 |  | 5. Masako Chiba | JPN | 32:05.76 |  | 6. Siju Yang | CHN | 32:06.12 |  | 7. Colleen De Reuck | RSA | 32:09.56 |  | 8. Hiromi Masuda | JPN | 32:11.63 |  | 9. Julia Vaquero | ESP | 32:12.25 |  | 10.Annette Peters | USA | 32:14.08 |  | 11.Chantal Dallenbach | FRA | 32:49.40 |  | 12.Marleen Renders | BEL | 33:02.37 |  | 13.Helena Sampaio | POR | 33:14.85 |  | 14.Adriana Fernandez | MEX | 33:40.09 |  | 15.Kylie Risk | AUS | 33:56.48 |  | 16.Maysa Matrood | IRQ | 35:44.93 |   
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