| Final | | time | | L | gap | butter | back | breast | | 1. Martina Grunert |  East Germany | 2:27.6 | ECR | 4 | | 32.7s 2. | 1:08.3 1. | 1:52.8 1. | | 2. Evelyn Stolze | East Germany | 2:29.3 | | 3 | +1.7s | 33.6s 5. | 1:10.0 3. | 1:55.4 3. | | 3. Shelagh Ratcliffe |  Great Britain | 2:29.6 | | 2 | +2.0s | 32.9s 3. | 1:10.2 4. | 1:55.0 2. | | 4. Nyina Petrova |  Soviet Union | 2:29.8 | | 1 | +2.2s | 34.2s 7. | 1:12.5 7. | 1:56.0 5. | | 5. Ligyija Milenyina | Soviet Union | 2:30.1 | | 5 | +3.5s | 33.0s 4. | 1:11.1 5. | 1:55.5 4. | | 6. Jaroslava Slavíčková |  Czechoslovakia | 2:31.8 | NR | 7 | +4.2s | 34.0s 6. | 1:11.8 6. | 1:57.4 6. | | 7. Hennie Pentermann |  Netherlands | 2:33.5 | | 8 | +5.9s | 35.0s 8. | 1:14.0 8. | 1:58.5 8. | | 8. Judit Turóczy |  Hungary | 2:33.9 | | 6 | +6.3s | 31.8s 1. | 1:09.6 2. | 1:57.6 7. |
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| World Record: Claudia Kolb, United States 2:23.5 Los Angeles, United States 25th August 1967 | | European Record: Martina Grunert, East Germany 2:27.5 Budapest, Hungary 23rd August 1969 |
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Heats Thursday, 8th September | | Best 8 times advanced to Final>. |
| Heat 4 | | time | | | 1. Martina Grunert | East Germany | 2:29.5 | Q, ECR | | 2. Ligyija Milenyina | Soviet Union | 2:29.8 | Q, NR | | 10.Anita Zarnowiecki |  Sweden | 2:36.0 | NR | | 12.Sharon Anslow | Great Britain | 2:37.2 | | | 21.Mária Törzs | Hungary | 2:42.0 | | | 23.Eleni Avlonitou |  Greece | 2:50.0 | |
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| Heat 3 | | time | | | 5. Shelagh Ratcliffe | Great Britain | 2:32.2 | Q | | 7. Nyina Petrova | Soviet Union | 2:33.1 | Q | | 9. Heli Matzdorf |  West Germany | 2:35.8 | | | 19.Eva Sigg |  Finland | 2:40.7 | | | 22.Martha Beri | Greece | 2:48.8 | |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 4. Judit Turóczy | Hungary | 2:31.5 | Q | | 6. Jaroslava Slavíčková | Czechoslovakia | 2:32.9 | Q | | 8. Hennie Pentermann | Netherlands | 2:34.5 | Q | | 14.Franca Maltagliati |  Italy | 2:38.5 | | | 17.Jacqueline Pele |  France | 2:39.5 | | | 20.Manolita Gutiérez |  Spain | 2:41.9 | |
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| Heat 1 | | time | | | 3. Evelyn Stolze | East Germany | 2:29.9 | Q, ECR | | 11.Maria Nikolova |  Bulgaria | 2:37.1 | | | 13.Gerda Lassooij | Netherlands | 2:37.4 | | | 15.Annemarie Stelter | West Germany | 2:38.7 | | | 15.Arlette Sarlee |  Belgium | 2:38.7 | | | 18.Vera Faitlova | Czechoslovakia | 2:40.3 | |
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