| Final 20:20 | time | | 1. Olga Bondarenko | URS | 8:33.99 | | 2. Maricica Puica | ROU | 8:35.92 | | 3. Yvonne Murray | GBR | 8:37.15 | | 4. Zola Budd | GBR | 8:38.20 | | 5. Tatiana Samolenko | URS | 8:40.35 | | 6. Yelena Zhupiyeva | URS | 8:40.74 | | 7. Cornelia Buerki | SUI | 8:44.44 | | 8. Annette Sergent | FRA | 8:47.52 | | 9. Elly Van Hulst | NED | 8:49.22 | | 10.Vera Michallek | FRG | 8:57.28 | | 11.Iris Biba | FRG | 9:00.20 | | 12.Elizabeth Lynch | GBR | 9:02.42 | | 13.Martine Fays | FRA | 9:04.67 | | 14.Christin Soerum | NOR | 9:11.80 |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Olga Bondarenko | URS | 8:53.98 | | 2. Cornelia Buerki | SUI | 8:55.82 | | 3. Vera Michallek | FRG | 8:56.28 | | 4. Elly Van Hulst | NED | 8:57.55 | | 5. Iris Biba | FRG | 8:58.76 | | 6. Elizabeth Lynch | GBR | 8:58.85 | | 7. Martine Fays | FRA | 8:59.39 | | 8. Christin Soerum | NOR | 9:00.13 | | 9. Mariana Stanescu | ROU | 9:02.57 | | 10.Jana Kucerikova | TCH | 9:08.71 | | 11.Ingrid Delagrange | BEL | 9:15.37 | | 12.Eva Ersntroem | SWE | 9:20.50 | | 13.Fernanda Ribeiro | POR | 9:32.87 |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Maricica Puica | ROU | 8:47.70 | | 2. Zola Budd | GBR | 8:48.02 | | 3. Yelena Zhupiyeva | URS | 8:49.18 | | 4. Yvonne Murray | GBR | 8:49.56 | | 5. Tatiana Samolenko | URS | 8:51.29 | | 6. Annette Sergent | FRA | 8:57.21 | | 7. Marielouise Hamrin | SWE | 9:02.32 | | 8. Sandra Gasser | SUI | 9:04.78 | | 9. Snezana Pajkic | YUG | 9:07.44 | | 10.Corinne Debaets | BEL | 9:09.13 | | 11.Marion Josefsen | NOR | 9:18 72 | | 12.Daniele Kaber | LUX | 9:20.00 | | 13.Gitte Karlshoej | DEN | 9:33.47 |
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