| Final 18:10 | time | | | 1. Giana Romanova |  Soviet Union | 3:59.01 | Cr | | 2. Natalia Mărăşescu |  Romania | 3:59.77 | | | 3. Totka Petrova |  Bulgaria | 4:00.15 | | | 4. Valentina Ilyinykh | Soviet Union | 4:00.18 | | | 5. Grete Waitz |  Norway | 4:00.55 | Nr | | 6. Gabriella Dorio |  Italy | 4:01.25 | | | 7. Ulrike Bruns |  East Germany | 4:02.20 | | | 8. Cornelia Bürki |  Switzerland | 4:04.60 | | | 9. Vesela Yatsinska | Bulgaria | 4:04.73 | | | 10.Lyudmila Kalnitskaya | Soviet Union | 4:06.6 | | | 11.Maricica Puică | Romania | 4:09.3 | | | 12.Christine Benning |  Great Britain | 4:11.5 | |
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| Round | date | H | Athl. | | Heats | 01.09 | 2 | 20 |
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Heats - Friday 01.09 | | First 5 and Best 2 advanced to Final. |
| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Ulrike Bruns | East Germany | 4:11.50 | Q | | 2. Gabriella Dorio | Italy | 4:11.5 | Q | | 3. Vesela Yatsinska | Bulgaria | 4:11.7 | Q | | 4. Giana Romanova | Soviet Union | 4:11.8 | Q | | 5. Cornelia Bürki | Switzerland | 4:11.8 | Q | | 6. Brigitte Kraus |  West Germany | 4:11.9 | | | 7. Mary Stewart | Great Britain | 4:17.5 | | | 8. Tineke Kluft |  Netherlands | 4:17.7 | | | 9. Irén Lipcsei |  Hungary | 4:20.2 | | | 10.Fernande Schmitt |  Luxembourg | 4:31.3 | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Natalia Mărăşescu | Romania | 4:05.76 | Q | | 2. Maricica Puică | Romania | 4:06.1 | Q | | 3. Valentina Ilyinykh | Soviet Union | 4:06.3 | Q | | 4. Grete Waitz | Norway | 4:06.3 | Q | | 5. Lyudmila Kalnitskaya | Soviet Union | 4:06.7 | Q | | 6. Totka Petrova | Bulgaria | 4:07.2 | q | | 7. Christine Benning | Great Britain | 4:11.8 | q | | 8. Magdolna Lázár | Hungary | 4:14.4 | | | 9. Drahomíra Zvoníčková |  Czechoslovakia | 4:19.2 | | | 10.Renties Véronique |  France | 4:40.3 | |
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