| | | Final |  | time |  |  | 1. Hildegard Falck |  West Germany | 2:06.1 |  |  | 2. Ileana Silai |  Romania | 2:06.5 |  |  | 3. Rosemary Stirling |  Great Britain | 2:06.6 |  |  | 4. Colette Besson |  France | 2:07.5 |  |  | 5. Nadezhda Kolesnikova |  Soviet Union | 2:08.1 |  |  | 6. Donata Govoni |  Italy | 2:09.2 |  | 
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 |  |  | First 2 from each Heat advanced to Final. | 
 | | Heat 1 |  | time |  |  | 1. Ileana Silai |  Romania | 2:06.0 | Q, NR |  | 2. Hildegard Falck |  West Germany | 2:06.1 | Q |  | 3. Claire Walsh |  Ireland | 2:07.4 |  |  | 4. Magdolna Kulcsár |  Hungary | 2:08.4 |  | 
 |  | | Heat 2 |  | time |  |  | 1. Donata Govoni |  Italy | 2:09.6 | Q |  | 2. Colette Besson |  France | 2:10.2 | Q |  | 3. Rosemarie Klute |  West Germany | 2:10.6 |  |  | 4. Marie Otova |  Czechoslovakia | 2:11.0 |  |  | 5. Dzhena Bineva |  Bulgaria | 2:12.1 |  | 
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 | | Heat 3 |  | time |  |  | 1. Nadezhda Kolesnikova |  Soviet Union | 2:07.9 | Q |  | 2. Rosemary Stirling |  Great Britain | 2:08.8 | Q |  | 3. María Fuentes |  Spain | 2:10.6 |  |  | 4. Vesela Tasheva |  Bulgaria | 2:11.1 |  |  | 5. Hannelore Heyn |  West Germany | 2:12.7 |  | 
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 | | All Times |  | Final |  | time |  |  | 1. Hildegard Falck |  West Germany | 2:06.1 |  |  | 2. Ileana Silai |  Romania | 2:06.5 |  |  | 3. Rosemary Stirling |  Great Britain | 2:06.6 |  |  | 4. Colette Besson |  France | 2:07.5 |  |  | 5. Nadezhda Kolesnikova |  Soviet Union | 2:08.1 |  |  | 6. Donata Govoni |  Italy | 2:09.2 |  |  | Heat 1 |  | time |  |  | Heat 2 |  | time |  |  | Heat 3 |  | time |  |  | 1. Ileana Silai |  Romania | 2:06.0 | Q, NR |  | 2. Hildegard Falck |  West Germany | 2:06.1 | Q |  | 3. Claire Walsh |  Ireland | 2:07.4 |  |  | 4. Magdolna Kulcsár |  Hungary | 2:08.4 |  |  | 1. Donata Govoni |  Italy | 2:09.6 | Q |  | 2. Colette Besson |  France | 2:10.2 | Q |  | 3. Rosemarie Klute |  West Germany | 2:10.6 |  |  | 4. Marie Otova |  Czechoslovakia | 2:11.0 |  |  | 5. Dzhena Bineva |  Bulgaria | 2:12.1 |  |  | 1. Nadezhda Kolesnikova |  Soviet Union | 2:07.9 | Q |  | 2. Rosemary Stirling |  Great Britain | 2:08.8 | Q |  | 3. María Fuentes |  Spain | 2:10.6 |  |  | 4. Vesela Tasheva |  Bulgaria | 2:11.1 |  |  | 5. Hannelore Heyn |  West Germany | 2:12.7 |  | 
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