| Order / Lane | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | PB | SB 1997 | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ludmila Formanová |  CZE | 1:59.28 | 1:59.59 | 
| 2 | Joetta Clark-Diggs |  USA | 1:58.06 | 1:58.95 | 
| 3 | Letitia Vriesde |  SUR | 1:56.68 | 1:57.98 | 
| 4 | Maria de Lurdes Mutola |  MOZ | 1:55.19 | 1:57.49 | 
| 5 | Ana Fidelia Quirot |  CUB | 1:54.44 | 1:55.78 | 
| 6 | Yelena Afanasyeva |  RUS | 1:57.38 | 1:57.38 | 
| 7 | Toni Hodgkinson |  NZL | 1:58.25 | 1:59.42 | 
| 8 | Stella Jongmans |  NED | 1:58.95 | 1:59.32 |