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| | First - from each Semi advanced to Final. |
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| | | First - from each Heat and next Best 4 advanced to Semi-Finals. |
| 2. Iolanda Oanță |  Romania | 52.22s | | | 2. Sally Gunnell |  Great Britain | 52.92s | Q | | 3. Iolanda Oanță | Romania | 53.27s | q | | 4. Judit Forgács |  Hungary | 53.30s | q | | 9. Cristina Pérez |  Spain | 54.53s | |
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| 1. Marina Shmonina |  Soviet Union | 51.22s | | | 7. Angela Piggford | Great Britain | 54.01s | Q | | 8. Noémi Bátori | Hungary | 54.35s | | | 10.Irmgard Trojer |  Italy | 54.90s | | | 11.Marina Vasarmidou |  Greece | 55.38s | |
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| 4. Sally Gunnell | Great Britain | 53.38s | | | 1. Marina Shmonina | Soviet Union | 52.53s | Q | | 5. Linda Kisabaka |  West Germany | 53.41s | | | 6. Linda Keough | Great Britain | 53.74s | | | -. Anita Protti |  Switzerland | DNS | |
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| 3. Judit Forgács | Hungary | 53.02s | |
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