| Final | time | | 1. Tatiana Kazankina |  URS | 3:56.6 | | 2. Christiane Wartenberg |  GDR | 3:57.8 | | 3. Nadezhda Olizarenko | URS | 3:59.6 | | 4. Gabriella Dorio |  ITA | 4:00.3 | | 5. Ulrike Bruns | GDR | 4:00.7 | | 6. Liubov Smolka | URS | 4:01.3 | | 7. Maricica Puika |  ROM | 4:01.3 | | 8. Ileana Silai | ROM | 4:03.0 | | 9. Natalia Marasescu | ROM | 4:04.8 |
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| | | Venue: Central Lenin Stadium, Luzhniki 100,000. | | 26 competitors from -- nations. |
| Round | H | Athl | Date | | Heats | 2 | 26 | 30.07 |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Tatiana Kazankina | URS | 3:59.2 | | 2. Nadezhda Olizarenko | URS | 3:59.5 | | 3. Christiane Wartenberg | GDR | 4:00.4 | | 4. Ulrike Bruns | GDR | 4:01.6 | | 5. Maricica Puika | ROM | 4:01.7 | | 6. Vesela Yatsinska |  BUL | 4:04.7 | | 7. Cornelia Borki |  SUI | 4:05.5 | | 8. Totka Petrova | BUL | 4:13.8 | | 9. Janet Marlow |  GBR | 4:15.9 | | 10.Amsale Woldegibriel |  ETH | 4:25.3 | | 11.Marcellino Emmanuel |  TAN | 4:26.8 | | 12.Albertine Raheliarisoa |  MAD | 4:30.8 | | 13.Margaret Morel |  SEY | 4:37.9 |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Liubov Smolka | URS | 4:04.4 | | 2. Ileana Silai | ROM | 4:04.7 | | 3. Gabriella Dorio | ITA | 4:05.0 | | 4. Natalia Marasescu | ROM | 4:05.9 | | 5. Anna Bukis |  POL | 4:06.0 | | 6. Beate Liebich | GDR | 4:06.8 | | 7. Nikolina Shchereva | BUL | 4:08.3 | | 8. Breda Pergar |  YUG | 4:13.2 | | 9. Agnese Rossamai | ITA | 4:14.7 | | 10.Mwinga Mwanjala | TAN | 4:20.9 | | 11.Thi Be Trinh |  VIE | 4:38.6 | | -. Hala el-Moughrabi |  SYR | DNS | | -. Gita Zutshi |  IND | DNS |
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