| Final | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Petra Thümer | GDR | 8:37.14 | 1. | | 2. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 8:37.59 | 3. | | 3. Beth Weinberg | USA | 8:42.60 | 5. | | 4. Rosemary Milgate | AUS | 8:47.21 | 8. | | 5. Nicole Kramer | USA | 8:47.33 | 2. | | 6. Shannon Smith | CAN | 8:48.15 | 7. | | 7. Regina Jäger | GDR | 8:50.40 | 4. | | 8. Jenny Turrall | AUS | 8:52.88 | 6. |
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| Heat 3 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 8:47.74 | 3. | | 2. Jenny Turrall | AUS | 8:51.41 | 6. | | 3. Rosemary Milgate | AUS | 8:53.65 | 8. | | 4. Annelies Maas | NED | 8:57.38 | 13. | | 5. Tracey Wickham | AUS | 9:01.93 | 15. | | 6. Antonia Real | ESP | 9:07.24 | 16. | | 7. Diana Hatler | PUR | 9:43.51 | 19. |
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| Heat 2 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Petra Thümer | GDR | 8:46.58 | 1. | | 2. Regina Jäger | GDR | 8:49.19 | 4. | | 3. Beth Weinberg | USA | 8:49.78 | 5. | | 4. Wendy Quirk | CAN | 8:53.93 | 9. | | 5. Eleonora Pandini | ITA | 9:12.47 | 17. | | 6. Fernanda Pérez | COL | 9:36.10 | 18. | | -. Maria Guimarães | BRA | | |
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| Heat 1 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Nicole Kramer | USA | 8:46.81 | 2. | | 2. Shannon Smith | CAN | 8:52.66 | 7. | | 3. Lisa Geary | CAN | 8:56.49 | 10. | | 4. Allison Calder | NZL | 8:57.24 | 11. | | 5. Carine Verbauwen | BEL | 8:57.31 | 12. | | 6. Laura Bortolotti | ITA | 9:00.16 | 14. |
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