| Final | time | | | 1. Doina Melinte |  Romania | 1:57.60 | | | 2. Kim Gallagher |  United States | 1:58.63 | | | 3. Fiţa Lovin | Romania | 1:58.83 | | | 4. Gabriella Dorio |  Italy | 1:59.05 | | | 5. Lorraine Baker |  Great Britain | 2:00.03 | | | 6. Ruth Wysocki | United States | 2:00.34 | | | 7. Margrit Klinger |  West Germany | 2:00.65 | | | 8. Caroline O'Shea |  Ireland | 2:00.77 | |
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| | | Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 100,000. -- competitors from -- nations. |
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| | | First 4 from each Semi advanced to Final. |
| Semi 1 | time | | | 1. Kim Gallagher | United States | 2:00.48 | Q | | 2. Doina Melinte | Romania | 2:01.42 | Q | | 3. Ruth Wysocki | United States | 2:02.31 | Q | | 4. Caroline O'Shea | Ireland | 2:02.70 | Q | | 5. Elly van Hulst |  Netherlands | 2:03.25 | | | 6. Angelita Lind |  Puerto Rico | 2:03.27 | | | 7. Christine Slythe |  Canada | 2:04.95 | | | 8. Ranza Clark | Canada | 2:05.42 | |
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| Semi 2 | time | | | 1. Fiţa Lovin | Romania | 1:59.29 | Q | | 2. Gabriella Dorio | Italy | 1:59.53 | Q | | 3. Margrit Klinger | West Germany | 2:00.00 | Q | | 4. Lorraine Baker | Great Britain | 2:00.66 | Q | | 5. Robin Campbell | United States | 2:01.21 | | | 6. Jill McCabe |  Sweden | 2:02.20 | | | 7. Grace Verbeek | Canada | 2:03.23 | | | 8. Shiny Abraham |  India | 2:05.42 | |
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| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Margrit Klinger | West Germany | 2:03.66 | Q | | 2. Ruth Wysocki | United States | 2:04.05 | Q | | 3. Jill McCabe | Sweden | 2:04.16 | Q | | 4. Ranza Clark | Canada | 2:04.67 | Q | | 5. Céléstine N'Drin |  Ivory Coast | 2:06.06 | | | 6. Christine Bakombo |  Zaire | 2:18.79 | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Fiţa Lovin | Romania | 2:01.51 | Q | | 2. Robin Campbell | United States | 2:01.72 | Q | | 3. Lorraine Baker | Great Britain | 2:01.73 | Q | | 4. Angelita Lind | Puerto Rico | 2:01.84 | Q | | 5. Selina Chirchir |  Kenya | 2:07.17 | | | 6. Grace Bakari |  Ghana | 2:14.50 | |
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| Heat3 | time | | | 1. Doina Melinte | Romania | 2:02.77 | Q | | 2. Caroline O'Shea | Ireland | 2:03.60 | Q | | 3. Christine Slythe | Canada | 2:04.17 | Q | | 4. Shiny Abraham | India | 2:04.69 | Q | | 5. Alejandra Ramos |  Chile | 2:05.77 | | | 6. Evelyn Adiru |  Uganda | 2:07.39 | | | 7. Zonia Meigham |  Guatemala | 2:14.17 | |
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| Heat 4 | time | | | 1. Kim Gallagher | United States | 2:00.37 | Q | | 2. Gabriella Dorio | Italy | 2:01.41 | Q | | 3. Elly van Hulst | Netherlands | 2:03.38 | Q | | 4. Grace Verbeek | Canada | 2:04.16 | Q | | 5. Albertina Machado |  Portugal | 2:05.74 | | | 6. Laverne Bryan |  Antigua Barbuda | 2:11.44 | |
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