| Venue: Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool. 22 competitors from 14 nations. |
| Final | Points | Final | Qualif. | age | | 1. Susanne Gossick |  USA | 150.77 | 53.45 | 1. | 97.32 | 3. | 20 | | 2. Tamara Pogosheva |  URS | 145.30 | 47.80 | 3. | 97.50 | 2. | 22 | | 3. Keala O'Sullivan | USA | 145.23 | 49.65 | 2. | 95.58 | 4. | 17 | | 4. Micki King | USA | 137.38 | 39.21 | 8. | 98.17 | 1. | 24 | | 5. Ingrid Gulbin |  GDR | 135.82 | 45.26 | 4. | 90.56 | 6. | 25 | | 6. Vera Baklanova | URS | 132.31 | 43.42 | 6. | 88.89 | 8. | 21 | | 7. Beverly Boys |  CAN | 130.31 | 43.45 | 5. | 86.86 | 10. | 17 | | 8. Yelena Anokhina | URS | 129.17 | 38.82 | 10. | 90.35 | 7. | 21 | | 9. Angelika Hilbert |  FRG | 128.83 | 42.00 | 7. | 86.83 | 11. | 25 | | 10.Milena Duchková |  TCH | 127.85 | 36.28 | 11. | 91.57 | 5. | 16 | | 11.Elzbieta Wierniuk |  POL | 122.42 | 34.80 | 12. | 87.62 | 9. | 17 | | 12.Kathleen Rowlatt |  GBR | 122.16 | 39.04 | 9. | 83.12 | 12. | 20 |
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| Divers performed three voluntary dives without limit of degrees of difficulty. The final ranking was determined by the combined score with the preliminary round. |
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| | | Divers performed five compulsory dives with limited degrees of difficulty and two voluntary dives without limits. First 12 advanced to Final. |
| Ranking | Points | | 1. Micki King | USA | 98.17 | | 2. Tamara Pogosheva | URS | 97.50 | | 3. Susanne Gossick | USA | 97.32 | | 4. Keala O'Sullivan | USA | 95.58 | | 5. Milena Duchková | TCH | 91.57 | | 6. Ingrid Gulbin | GDR | 90.56 | | 7. Yelena Anokhina | URS | 90.35 | | 8. Vera Baklanova | URS | 88.89 | | 9. Elzbieta Wierniuk | POL | 87.62 | | 10.Beverly Boys | CAN | 86.86 | | 11.Angelika Hilbert | FRG | 86.83 | | 12.Kathleen Rowlatt | GBR | 83.12 | | eliminated | | 13.Nancy Robertson | CAN | 82.21 | | 14.Tarja Liljeström |  FIN | 81.80 | | 15.Robyn Bradshaw |  AUS | 81.66 | | 16.Elselina Kuiler |  NED | 80.93 | | 17.Bertha Baraldi |  MEX | 80.47 | | 18.Mariette Dommers | NED | 79.32 | | 19.Ingeborg Pertmayr |  AUT | 79.08 | | 20.Boguszawa Pietkiewicz | POL | 76.45 | | 21.Park Chung-Cha |  KOR | 73.53 | | 22.Martha Manzano |  COL | 63.12 | | -. Keiko Osaki |  JPN | DNS |
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| Olympic Champions Women 3m Springboard | | 2016: | Shi Tingmao |  CHN | | 2012: | Wu Minxia | CHN | | 2008: | Guo Jingjing | CHN | | 2004: | Guo Jingjing | CHN | | 2000: | Fu Mingxia | CHN | | 1996: | Fu Mingxia | CHN | | 1992: | Gao Min | CHN | | 1988: | Gao Min | CHN | | 1984: | Sylvie Bernier | CAN | | 1980: | Irina Kalinina | URS | | 1976: | Jennifer Chandler | USA | | 1972: | Micki King | USA | | 1968: | Susanne Gossick | USA | | 1964: | Ingrid Krämer |  EUA | | 1960: | Ingrid Krämer | EUA | | 1956: | Pat McCormick | USA | | 1952: | Pat McCormick | USA | | 1948: | Vicki Draves | USA | | 1936: | Marjorie Gestring | USA | | 1932: | Georgia Coleman | USA | | 1928: | Helen Meany | USA | | 1924: | Elizabeth Becker | USA | | 1920: | Aileen Riggin | USA |
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