| Final 20:20 | time | | | | 1. Nicole Duclos |  FRA | 51.77s | WR | 51.77s | | 2. Colette Besson | FRA | 51.79s | WR | 51.79s | | 3. Maria Sykora |  AUT | 53.0s | NR | | 4. Hannelore Middecke |  GDR | 53.1s | NR | | 5. Karin Lundgren |  SWE | 53.4s | | | 6. Donata Govoni |  ITA | 53.6s | | | 7. Janet Simpson |  GBR | 53.8s | | | 8. Rosemary Stirling | GBR | 54.6s | |
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Semi-Finals - Wednsday 17.09 17:40 | | First 4 progress to Final. |
| Semi 1 | time | | | 1. Colette Besson | FRA | 52.2s | Q | | 2. Hannelore Middecke | GDR | 53.3s | NR Q | | 3. Janet Simpson | GBR | 53.6s | Q | | 4. Donata Govoni | ITA | 53.7s | NR Q | | 5. Taysiya Kovalevskaya |  URS | 54.1s | | | 6. Jennifer Pawsey | GBR | 54.8s | | | 7. Elżbieta Skowrońska |  POL | 55.3s | | | -. Berit Berthelsen |  NOR | DNS | |
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| Semi 2 | time | | | | 1. Maria Sykora | AUT | 53.2s | NR Q | | 2. Nicole Duclos | FRA | 53.2s | Q | | 3. Karin Lundgren | SWE | 54.2s | Q | | 4. Rosemary Stirling | GBR | 54.3s | Q | | 5. Krystyna Hryniewicka | POL | 54.7s | | | 6. Eliane Jacq | FRA | 54.7s | | | 7. Uschi Meyer |  SUI | 54.9s | | | 8. Olga Klein | URS | 56.3s | |
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| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Nicole Duclos | FRA | 53.2s | Q | | 2. Karin Lundgren | SWE | 54.5s | Q | | 3. Donata Govoni | ITA | 54.6s | Q | | 4. Rosemary Stirling | GBR | 54.7s | Q | | 5. Anna Dundare | URS | 55.2s | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Colette Besson | FRA | 52.1s | CR Q | | 2. Maria Sykora | AUT | 53.6s | NR Q | | 3. Janet Simpson | GBR | 54.1s | Q | | 4. Hannelore Middecke | GDR | 54.2s | Q | | 5. Elisabeth Randerz | SWE | 55.5s | | | 6. Eeva Haimi |  FIN | 55.8s | |
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| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Jennifer Pawsey | GBR | 54.8s | Q | | 2. Eliane Jacq | FRA | 54.9s | Q | | 3. Olga Klein | URS | 55.0s | Q | | 4. Krystyna Hryniewicka | POL | 55.4s | Q | | 5. Birgitte Jennes |  DEN | 55.5s | |
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| Heat 4 | time | | | 1. Taysiya Kovalevskaya | URS | 55.0s | Q | | 2. Berit Berthelsen | NOR | 55.2s | Q | | 3. Uschi Meyer | SUI | 55.5s | Q | | 4. Elżbieta Skowrońska | POL | 55.6s | Q |
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