| Final | time | L | | 1. Yulia Bogdanova |  URS | 2:35.04 | 4 | | 2. Susanne Nielsson |  DEN | 2:35.34 | 5 | | 3. Eva-Marie Hakansson |  SWE | 2:38.05 | 3 | | 4. Petra Gose |  GDR | 2:38.79 | 8 | | 5. Ingela Havaas | SWE | 2:38.87 | 2 | | 6. Deborah Rudd |  GBR | 2:39.04 | 6 | | 7. Violeta Penauskajte | URS | 2:39.05 | 7 | | 8. Wijda Mazereeuw |  NED | 2:40.07 | 1 |
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Heats - Tuesday, 16th August |
| Heat 1 | time | Rk. | | 1. Susanne Nielsson | DEN | 2:37.34 | 2. | | 2. Ingela Havaas | SWE | 2:38.77 | 5. | | 3. Wijda Mazereeuw | NED | 2:40.23 | 7. | | 4. Petra Gose | GDR | 2:40.54 | 8. | | 5. Camelia Hotescu |  ROU | 2:47.98 | 17. |
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| Heat 2 | time | Rk. | | 1. Violeta Penauskajte | URS | 2:39.21 | 6. | | 2. Dagmar Reak |  FRG | 2:41.43 | 9. | | 3. Karla Linke | GDR | 2:41.61 | 11. | | 4. Eva Kiss |  HUN | 2:42.41 | 12. | | 5. Irena Fleissnerova |  TCH | 2:45.20 | 14. | | 6. Maritzka van der Linden | NED | 2:46.20 | 15. | | 7. Sonja Hreidarsdottir |  ISL | 2:57.18 | 19. |
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| Heat 3 | time | Rk. | | 1. Yulia Bogdanova | URS | 2:36.50 | 1. | | 2. Eva-Marie Hakansson | SWE | 2:38.17 | 3. | | 3. Deborah Rudd | GBR | 2:38.33 | 4. | | 4. Margaret Kelly | GBR | 2:41.54 | 10. | | 5. Vibeke Olsen |  NOR | 2:43.68 | 13. | | 6. Gudrun Sixt | FRG | 2:46.75 | 16. | | 7. Joanna Pizon |  POL | 2:51.90 | 18. |
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