| Final | | time | | | 1. Jelica Pavličić |  Yugoslavia | 52.64s | NR | | 2. Nadezhda Ilyina |  Soviet Union | 52.81s | | | 3. Waltraud Dietsch |  East Germany | 52.84s | | | 4. Angelika Handt | East Germany | 53.51s | |
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| | First 2 from each Semi advanced to Final. |
| Semi 1 | | time | | | 1. Nadezhda Ilyina | Soviet Union | 52.44s | Q, WB | | 2. Waltraud Dietsch | East Germany | 52.77s | Q, NR | | 3. Brigitte Rohde | East Germany | 52.95s | | | 8. Erika Weinstein |  West Germany | 55.13s | |
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| Semi 2 | | time | | | 4. Jelica Pavličić | Yugoslavia | 53.00s | Q | | 5. Angelika Handt | East Germany | 53.05s | Q | | 6. Krystyna Kacperczyk |  Poland | 53.56s | | | 7. Ann Larsson |  Sweden | 54.00s | |
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| Heat 1 | | time | | | 5. Waltraud Dietsch | East Germany | 54.12s | Q | | 8. Erika Weinstein | West Germany | 54.52s | Q | | 9. Riitta Salin |  Finland | 54.76s | | | 12.ũliane Jacq |  France | 55.27s | |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 1. Nadezhda Ilyina | Soviet Union | 53.03s | Q, WB | | 3. Angelika Handt | East Germany | 53.48s | Q | | 7. Ann Larsson | Sweden | 54.20s | q | | 11.Brigitte Koczelnik | West Germany | 55.09s | |
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| Heat 3 | | time | | | 2. Jelica Pavličić | Yugoslavia | 53.43s | Q | | 4. Brigitte Rohde | East Germany | 53.66s | Q | | 6. Krystyna Kacperczyk | Poland | 54.17s | q | | 10.Nicole Duclos | France | 54.83s | |
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