| | Event type
1,500 metres, Women
| Date | 29 September – 1 October 1988 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Ol-lim-pik Ju-gyeong-gi-jang, Seoul Sports Complex, Seoul |
| Participants | 28 from 19 countries |
The favorites were Soviet Tatyana Samolenko, 1987 World Champion and America’s Mary Decker-Slaney, 1983 World Champion. They qualified easily for the final, as did Romania’s Paula Ivan. In the final, Ivan took the lead at the gun, and was never headed. She had an 8-metre lead at 800, dropping Decker-Slaney on the second lap, and she continued to increase her lead, winning by over 40 metres. Her time 3:53.96 was the second fastest ever run, but her winning margin of over six seconds has not been surpassed in any Olympic track race for women.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 466 | Paula Ivan |  ROU | 4:03.33 (1 h2) | 3:53.96 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 512 | Laimutė Baikauskaitė |  URS | 4:05.74 (7 h2) | 4:00.24 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 548 | Tetiana Samolenko | URS | 4:07.11 (3 h1) | 4:00.30 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 213 | Christina Cahill |  GBR | 4:05.33 (6 h2) | 4:00.64 (4) | |||
| 5 | 83 | Lynn Williams |  CAN | 4:04.20 (4 h2) | 4:00.86 (5) | |||
| 6 | 267 | Andrea Hahmann |  GDR | 4:03.65 (3 h2) | 4:00.96 (6) | |||
| 7 | 209 | Shireen Bailey | GBR | 4:04.65 (5 h2) | 4:02.32 (7) | |||
| 8 | 596 | Mary Decker-Slaney |  USA | 4:03.61 (2 h2) | 4:02.49 (8) | |||
| 9 | 467 | Doina Melinte | ROU | 4:06.87 (1 h1) | 4:02.89 (9) | |||
| 10 | 413 | Fatima Aouam |  MAR | 4:06.87 (8 h2) | 4:08.00 (10) | |||
| 11 | 567 | Kim Gallagher | USA | 4:07.22 (4 h1) | 4:16.25 (11) | |||
| 12 | 62 | Debbie Bowker | CAN | 4:07.06 (2 h1) | 4:17.95 (12) | |||
| 5 h1 r1/2 | 323 | Elly van Hulst |  NED | 4:07.40 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r1/2 | 252 | Kirsty Wade | GBR | 4:08.37 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 7 h1 r1/2 | 617 | Lyubov Gurina | URS | 4:08.59 (7 h1) | – | |||
| 8 h1 r1/2 | 65 | Angela Chalmers | CAN | 4:08.64 (8 h1) | – | |||
| 9 h1 r1/2 | 191 | Vera Michallek |  FRG | 4:10.05 (9 h1) | – | |||
| 9 h2 r1/2 | 2 | Hassiba Boulmerka |  ALG | 4:08.33 (9 h2) | – | |||
| 10 h1 r1/2 | 477 | Cornelia Bürki |  SUI | 4:10.89 (10 h1) | – | |||
| 10 h2 r1/2 | 383 | Susan Sirma |  KEN | 4:10.13 (10 h2) | – | |||
| 11 h1 r1/2 | 35 | Khin Khin Htwe |  MYA | 4:20.92 (11 h1) | – | |||
| 11 h2 r1/2 | 576 | Regina Jacobs | USA | 4:18.09 (11 h2) | – | |||
| 12 h1 r1/2 | 399 | No Hye-Sun |  KOR | 4:26.05 (12 h1) | – | |||
| 12 h2 r1/2 | 486 | Letitia Vriesde |  SUR | 4:19.58 (12 h2) | – | |||
| 13 h1 r1/2 | 471 | Daphrose Nyiramutuzo |  RWA | 4:32.31 (13 h1) | – | |||
| 13 h2 r1/2 | 4 | Laverne Bryan |  ANT | 4:39.73 (13 h2) | – | |||
| 14 h1 r1/2 | 432 | Poloni Avek |  PNG | 4:46.49 (14 h1) | – | |||
| 14 h2 r1/2 | 473 | Rachel Thompson |  SLE | 5:31.42 (14 h2) | – |
Round One (29 September 1988)
Top four in each heat and next four fastest advanced to the final.
Heat One (16:15)
| Pos | Ord | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Doina Melinte | ROU | 4:06.87 | |||
| 2 | 7 | Debbie Bowker | CAN | 4:07.06 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Tetiana Samolenko | URS | 4:07.11 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Kim Gallagher | USA | 4:07.22 | |||
| 5 | 11 | Elly van Hulst | NED | 4:07.40 | |||
| 6 | 3 | Kirsty Wade | GBR | 4:08.37 | |||
| 7 | 10 | Lyubov Gurina | URS | 4:08.59 | |||
| 8 | 8 | Angela Chalmers | CAN | 4:08.64 | |||
| 9 | 6 | Vera Michallek | FRG | 4:10.05 | |||
| 10 | 9 | Cornelia Bürki | SUI | 4:10.89 | |||
| 11 | 4 | Khin Khin Htwe | MYA | 4:20.92 | |||
| 12 | 1 | No Hye-Sun | KOR | 4:26.05 | |||
| 13 | 12 | Daphrose Nyiramutuzo | RWA | 4:32.31 | |||
| 14 | 13 | Poloni Avek | PNG | 4:46.49 |
Splits
| 400 m | 1:08.08 | Vera Michallek | |
| 800 m | 2:14.29 | Elly van Hulst | |
| 1200 m | 3:21.27 | Elly van Hulst | |
Heat Two (16:25)
| Pos | Ord | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Paula Ivan | ROU | 4:03.33 | |||
| 2 | 4 | Mary Decker-Slaney | USA | 4:03.61 | |||
| 3 | 10 | Andrea Hahmann | GDR | 4:03.65 | |||
| 4 | 8 | Lynn Williams | CAN | 4:04.20 | |||
| 5 | 13 | Shireen Bailey | GBR | 4:04.65 | |||
| 6 | 5 | Christina Cahill | GBR | 4:05.33 | |||
| 7 | 2 | Laimutė Baikauskaitė | URS | 4:05.74 | |||
| 8 | 14 | Fatima Aouam | MAR | 4:06.87 | |||
| 9 | 7 | Hassiba Boulmerka | ALG | 4:08.33 | |||
| 10 | 3 | Susan Sirma | KEN | 4:10.13 | |||
| 11 | 12 | Regina Jacobs | USA | 4:18.09 | |||
| 12 | 11 | Letitia Vriesde | SUR | 4:19.58 | |||
| 13 | 6 | Laverne Bryan | ANT | 4:39.73 | |||
| 14 | 9 | Rachel Thompson | SLE | 5:31.42 |
Splits
| 400 m | 1:05.24 | Mary Decker-Slaney | |
| 800 m | 2:11.72 | Mary Decker-Slaney | |
| 1200 m | 3:16.82 | Paula Ivan | |
Final (1 October 1988 — 12:55)
| Pos | Ord | Athlete | NOC | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Paula Ivan | ROU | 3:53.96 | |||
| 2 | 1 | Laimutė Baikauskaitė | URS | 4:00.24 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Tetiana Samolenko | URS | 4:00.30 | |||
| 4 | 9 | Christina Cahill | GBR | 4:00.64 | |||
| 5 | 5 | Lynn Williams | CAN | 4:00.86 | |||
| 6 | 8 | Andrea Hahmann | GDR | 4:00.96 | |||
| 7 | 11 | Shireen Bailey | GBR | 4:02.32 | |||
| 8 | 7 | Mary Decker-Slaney | USA | 4:02.49 | |||
| 9 | 2 | Doina Melinte | ROU | 4:02.89 | |||
| 10 | 4 | Fatima Aouam | MAR | 4:08.00 | |||
| 11 | 6 | Kim Gallagher | USA | 4:16.25 | |||
| 12 | 12 | Debbie Bowker | CAN | 4:17.95 |
Splits
| 400 m | 1:02.52 | Paula Ivan | |
| 800 m | 2:05.76 | Paula Ivan | |
| 1200 m | 3:08.25 | Paula Ivan | |