| Final | time | __________ |  | 1. United States |  USA | 41.58s |   |  |  Alice Brown, Diane Williams, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Pam Marshall |  | 2. East Germany |  USA | 41.95s |   |  |  Silke Gladisch-Moller, Cornelia Riefstahl-Oschkenat, Kerstin Behrendt, Marlies Oelsner-Gohr |  | 3. Soviet Union |  USA | 42.33s |   |  |  Irina Slyusar, Natalya Pomoshchnikova-Voronova, Natalya German, Olga Antonova |  | 4. Bulgaria |  USA | 42.71s |   |  |  Ginka Zagorcheva, Anelia Nuneva, | Nadezhda Georgieva, Valya Demireva |  | 5. West Germany |  USA | 43.20s |   |  |  Silke-Beate Knoll, Ulrike Sarvari, Andrea Thomas, Ute Thimm |  | 6. Canada |  USA | 43.26s |   |  |  Angela Bailey, Angela Phipps, Angella Taylor-Issajenko, Keturah Anderson |  | 7. Cuba |  USA | 43.66s |   |  |  Eusebia Riquelme, Aliuska Lopez, Susana Armenteros, Liliana Allen |  | 8. France |  USA | 43.75s |   |  |  Francoise Leroux, Marie-Christine Cazier-Ballo, Laurence Bily, Muriel Leroy |   
| Heat 1 | time | Rk. | __________ |  | 1. East Germany |  GDR | 42.96s | 3. |   |  |  Silke Gladisch-Moller, Cornelia Riefstahl-Oschkenat, Kerstin Behrendt, Marlies Oelsner-Gohr |  | 2. Canada |  CAN | 43.30s | 4. |   |  |  Angela Bailey, Angela Phipps, Angella Taylor-Issajenko, Keturah Anderson |  | 3. West Germany |  FRG | 43.32s | 5. |   |  |  Silke-Beate Knoll, Ulrike Sarvari, Andrea Thomas, Ute Thimm |  | 4. Bulgaria |  BUL | 43.50s | 6. |   |  |  Ginka Zagorcheva, Anelia Nuneva, Nadezhda Georgieva, Valya Demireva |  | 5. Nigeria |  NGR | 43.95s | 9. |   |  |  Beatrice Utondu, Tina Iheagwam, Mary Onyali, Falilat Ogunkoya |  | 6. Ghana |  GHA | 44.28s | 11. |   |  |  Mercy Addy, Diana Yankey, Cynthia Quartey, Martha Appiah |  | -. Brazil |  BRA | DNS |   |   |  |  Ines Ribeiro, Claudilea Dos Santos, Sheila De Oliveira, Cleide Amaral |   
| Heat 2 | time | Rk. | __________ |  | 1. United States |  USA | 41.96s | 1. |   |  |  Alice Brown, Diane Williams, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Pam Marshall |  | 2. Soviet Union |  URS | 42.47s | 2. |   |  |  Irina Slyusar, Natalya Pomoshchnikova-Voronova, Natalya German, Olga Antonova |  | 3. Cuba |  CUB | 43.53s | 7. |   |  |  Eusebia Riquelme, Aliuska Lopez, Susana Armenteros, Liliana Allen |  | 4. France |  FRA | 43.59s | 8. |   |  |  Francoise Leroux, Marie-Christine Cazier-Ballo, Laurence Bily, Muriel Leroy |  | 5. Great Britain |  GBR | 44.21s | 10. |   |  |  Baptiste Cohen Eleanor, Hoyte Joan, Dunn-Thomas Wendy |  | 6. Italy |  ITA | 44.49s | 13. |   |  |  Rita Angotzi, Patrizia Lombardo, Annarita Balzani, Marisa Masullo |  | 7. India |  IND | 46.32s | 14. |   |  |  Ashwini Nachappa, Vandana Shanbag, Sany Joseph, Vandana Rao |   
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