The qualifying heats and the finals of the women's 400 metres individual medley event at the 1997 FINA Short Course World Championships were held on the first day of the championships, on Thursday 17 April 1997 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
| RANK | FINAL A | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:35.18 | |||
| 4:36.02 | |||
| 4:37.46 | |||
| 4. | 4:39.22 | ||
| 5. | 4:39.97 | ||
| 6. | 4:42.27 | ||
| 7. | 4:42.58 | ||
| 8. | 4:42.99 |
| RANK | FINAL B | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | 4:42.59 | ||
| 10. | 4:43.98 | ||
| 11. | 4:48.30 | ||
| 12. | 4:49.10 | ||
| 13. | 4:49.32 | ||
| 14. | 4:50.47 | ||
| 15. | 4:52.49 | ||
| 16. | 4:54.99 |
| RANK | HEATS RANKING | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 4:39.18 | ||
| 2. | 4:39.73 | ||
| 3. | 4:40.20 | ||
| 4. | 4:41.32 | ||
| 5. | 4:41.89 | ||
| 6. | 4:42.24 | ||
| 7. | 4:42.43 | ||
| 8. | 4:43.58 | ||
| 9. | 4:45.38 | ||
| 10. | 4:46.32 | ||
| 11. | 4:47.72 | ||
| 12. | 4:49.60 | ||
| 13. | 4:50.43 | ||
| 14. | 4:52.47 | ||
| 15. | 4:53.62 | ||
| 16. | 4:54.34 | ||
| 17. | 4:54.60 | ||
| 18. | 4:56.59 | ||
| 19. | 4:56.91 | ||
| 20. | 4:57.76 |