| Final | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shane Gould | AUS | 4:19.04 | 5. | | 2. Novella Calligaris | ITA | 4:22.44 | 1. | | 3. Gudrun Wegner | GDR | 4:23.11 | 3. | | 4. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 4:23.59 | 8. | | 5. Jenny Wylie | USA | 4:24.07 | 4. | | 6. Keena Rothhammer | USA | 4:24.22 | 2. | | 7. Hansje Bunschoten | NED | 4:29.70 | 7. | | 8. Anke Rijnders | NED | 4:31.51 | 6. |
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| Heat 1 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Jenny Wylie | USA | 4:27.53 | 4. | | 2. Anke Rijnders | NED | 4:29.94 | 6. | | 3. Karin Tülling | GDR | 4:32.56 | 9. | | 4. Federica Stabilini | ITA | 4:36.32 | 12. | | 5. María Teresa Ramírez | MEX | 4:39.14 | 16. | | 6. Helga Wagner | FRG | 4:47.61 | 24. | | 7. Kirsten Knudsen | DEN | 4:53.76 | 27. |
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| Heat 2 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 4:31.98 | 8. | | 2. Karen Moras | AUS | 4:36.14 | 11. | | 3. Mary Beth Rondeau | CAN | 4:36.71 | 13. | | 4. Anne Marie McCaffrey | CAN | 4:39.92 | 17. | | 5. Roselina Angee | COL | 4:45.97 | 22. | | 6. Belinda Phillips | JAM | 4:47.54 | 23. | | 7. Hsu Yue-Yun | TPE | 4:58.57 | 28. |
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| Heat 3 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shane Gould | AUS | 4:28.46 | 5. | | 2. Hansje Bunschoten | NED | 4:31.76 | 7. | | 3. Uta Schütz | FRG | 4:34.67 | 10. | | 4. Narelle Moras | AUS | 4:37.57 | 14. | | 5. Susan Edmondson | GBR | 4:39.10 | 15. | | 6. Ileana Morales | VEN | 4:44.73 | 20. | | 7. Diana Sutherland | GBR | 4:47.66 | 25. |
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| Heat 4 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Novella Calligaris | ITA | 4:24.14 | 1. | | 2. Keena Rothhammer | USA | 4:24.82 | 2. | | 3. Gudrun Wegner | GDR | 4:25.13 | 3. | | 4. Olga de Angulo | COL | 4:40.09 | 18. | | 5. Jaynie Parkhouse | NZL | 4:40.24 | 19. | | 6. June Green | GBR | 4:45.81 | 21. | | 7. Eleni Avlonitou | GRE | 4:52.10 | 26. | | 8. Patricia López | ARG | 4:59.68 | 29. |
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