| Final | | time | | | 1. Rita Wilden |  West Germany | 52.26s | WR | | 2. Jelica Pavličić |  Yugoslavia | 52.47s | NR | | 3. Inta Kļimoviča |  Soviet Union | 52.80s | NR | | 4. Lyudmila Aksyonova | Soviet Union | 53.60s | |
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| | First 2 from each Semi advanced to Final. |
| Semi 1 | | time | | | 1. Jelica Pavličić | Yugoslavia | 53.31s | Q | | 2. Inta Kļimoviča | Soviet Union | 53.31s | Q | | 3. Dagmar Fuhrmann | West Germany | 53.36s | | | 4. Éva Tóth |  Hungary | 53.99s | |
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| Semi 2 | | time | | | 5. Rita Wilden | West Germany | 54.17s | Q | | 6. Lyudmila Aksyonova | Soviet Union | 54.37s | Q | | 7. Rosine Wallez |  Belgium | 55.39s | | | 8. Patricia Darbonville |  France | 57.30s | |
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Heats - Saturday, 21st February | | First 2 from each Heat and next Best 2 advanced to Semi-Finals. |
| Heat 1 | | time | | | 4. Lyudmila Aksyonova | Soviet Union | 54.53s | Q | | 7. Éva Tóth | Hungary | 54.96s | Q | | 9. Catherine Delachanal | France | 55.71s | |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 3. Jelica Pavličić | Yugoslavia | 54.44s | Q | | 5. Dagmar Fuhrmann | West Germany | 54.57s | Q | | 6. Rosine Wallez | Belgium | 54.61s | q | | 8. Patricia Darbonville | France | 55.69s | q |
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| Heat 3 | | time | | | 1. Rita Wilden | West Germany | 54.00s | Q | | 2. Inta Kļimoviča | Soviet Union | 54.09s | Q | | 10.Helen Ritter |  Liechtenstein | 59.53s | NR |
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