| Final | time | | 1. Ludmila Bragina |  URS | 4:01.4 | | 2. Gunhild Hoffmeister |  GDR | 4:02.8 | | 3. Paola Cacchi |  ITA | 4:02.9 | | 4. Karin Burneleit | GDR | 4:04.1 | | 5. Sheila Carey |  GBR | 4:04.8 | | 6. Ilja Keizer |  HOL | 4:05.1 | | 7. Tamara Pangelova | URS | 4:06.5 | | 8. Jennifer Orr |  AUS | 4:12.2 | | 9. Berny Boxern |  NED | 4:13.1 | | -. Ellen Tittel |  FRG | |
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| Semi 1 | time | | 1. Tamara Pangelova | URS | 4:07.7 | | 2. Paola Cacchi | ITA | 4:07.8 | | 3. Gunhild Hoffmeister | GDR | 4:07.9 | | 4. Ilja Keizer | HOL | 4:08.3 | | 5. Vassilena Amzina |  BUL | 4:09.1 | | 6. Joyce Smith | GBR | 4:09.4 | | 7. Glenda Reiser |  CAN | 4:09.5 | | 8. Francie Kraker |  USA | 4:12.8 | | 9. Inger Knutsson |  SWE | 4:15.0 |
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| Semi 2 | time | | 1. Ludmila Bragina | URS | 4:05.1 | | 2. Karin Burneleit | GDR | 4:05.8 | | 3. Ellen Tittel | FRG | 4:06.7 | | 4. Sheila Carey | GBR | 4:07.4 | | 5. Berny Boxern | HOL | 4:08.8 | | 6. Jennifer Orr | AUS | 4:08.9 | | 7. Wenche Sorum |  NOR | 4:09.7 | | 8. Francie Larrieu | USA | 4:15.3 | | 9. Jaroslava Jehlickova |  TCH | 4:18.2 |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Ludmila Bragina | URS | 4:06.5 | | 2. Glenda Reiser | CAN | 4:06.7 | | 3. Ilja Keizer | HOL | 4:08.0 | | 4. Jennifer Orr | AUS | 4:08.1 | | 5. Jaroslava Jehliokova | TCH | 4:08.4 | | 6. Christa Merten | FRG | 4:12.6 | | 7. Joan Allison | GBR | 4:14.9 | | 8. Maryke Moser |  SUI | 4:24.9 | | 9. Chiu-Hsia Lee |  ROC | 4:37.2 | | -. Arda Kalpakian |  LIB |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Paola Cacchi | ITA | 4:09.5 | | 2. Vassilena Amzina | BUL | 4:12.9 | | 3. Berny Boxem | HOL | 4:13.8 | | 4. Francie Kraker | USA | 4:14.7 | | 5. Thelma Wright | CAN | 4:15.4 | | 6. Grete Andersen | NOR | 4:16.0 | | 7. Sara Ligetkutine |  HUN | 4:16.1 | | 8. Gerda Ranz | FRG | 4:18.6 | | 9. Vera Nikolio |  YUG | 4:23.4 |
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| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Tamara Pangelova | URS | 4:10.8 | | 2. Karin Burneleit | GDR | 4:10.8 | | 3. Francie Larrieu | USA | 4:11.2 | | 4. Joyce Smith | GBR | 4:11.3 | | 5. Inger Knutsson | SWE | 4:11.3 | | 6. Mary Tracey |  IRL | 4:16.4 | | 7. Sinikka Tyynel |  FIN | 4:21.4 | | 8. Emesia Chizunga |  MAW | 4:41.5 | | -. Rezsane Kulcsir Magdolna | HUN |
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| Heat 4 | time | | 1. Ellen Tittel | FRG | 4:12.1 | | 2. Gunhild Hoffmeister | GDR | 4:12.8 | | 3. Sheila Carey | GBR | 4:13.0 | | 4. Wenche Sorum | NOR | 4:14.1 | | 5. Tonka Petrova | BUL | 4:15.0 | | 6. Anne Marie Nenzell | SWE | 4:16.7 | | 7. Margrit Hess | SUI | 4:19.7 | | 8. Tamara Kazachkova | URS | 4:20.2 | | 9. Cherono Maiyo |  KEN | 4:20.9 | | -. Doris Brown | USA |
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