| Final | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shane Gould | AUS | 2:23.07 | 6. | | 2. Kornelia Ender | GDR | 2:23.59 | 2. | | 3. Lynn Vidali | USA | 2:24.06 | 1. | | 4. Jenny Bartz | USA | 2:24.55 | 5. | | 5. Leslie Cliff | CAN | 2:24.83 | 4. | | 6. Evelyn Stolze | GDR | 2:25.90 | 3. | | 7. Yoshimi Nishigawa | JPN | 2:26.35 | 7. | | 8. Carolyn Woods | USA | 2:27.42 | 8. |
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| This event was excluded for next 2 Olympic Games. |
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| Heat 1 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Nina Petrova | URS | 2:27.20 | 9. | | 2. Anita Zarnowiecki | SWE | 2:29.08 | 13. | | 3. Gail Neall | AUS | 2:29.64 | 15. | | 4. Karen James | CAN | 2:31.25 | 24. | | 5. Debra Cain | AUS | 2:31.82 | 25. | | 6. Eleni Avlonitou | GRE | 2:39.10 | 40. | | 7. Patricia López | ARG | 2:42.08 | 41. |
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| Heat 2 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Evelyn Stolze | GDR | 2:25.45 | 3. | | 2. Leslie Cliff | CAN | 2:25.59 | 4. | | 3. Jaroslava Slavíčková | TCH | 2:27.33 | 10. | | 4. Hennie Penterman | NED | 2:28.99 | 12. | | 5. Kiss Éva | HUN | 2:32.68 | 29. | | 6. Hsu Yue-Yun | TPE | 2:35.93 | 36. | | 7. María del Rosaria Ballesteros | MEX | 2:37.00 | 38. |
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| Heat 3 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Jenny Bartz | USA | 2:25.83 | 5. | | 2. Brigitte Schuchardt | GDR | 2:30.04 | 16. | | 3. Martha Nelson | CAN | 2:30.51 | 18. | | 4. Shelagh Ratcliffe | GBR | 2:31.04 | 20. | | 5. Gerda Lassooij | NED | 2:32.92 | 30. | | 6. Eva Sigg | FIN | 2:33.61 | 33. | | 7. Gisela Cerezo | VEN | 2:35.34 | 35. | | -. Laura Vaca | MEX | 2:34.35 | |
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| Heat 4 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Kornelia Ender | GDR | 2:25.39 | 2. | | 2. Carolyn Woods | USA | 2:26.98 | 8. | | 3. Susan Hunter | NZL | 2:30.29 | 17. | | 4. Wijda Mazereeuw | NED | 2:32.59 | 26. | | 5. Avis Willington | GBR | 2:32.64 | 28. | | 6. Maria Isabel Guerra | BRA | 2:32.95 | 31. | | 7. Kirsten Strange-Campbell | DEN | 2:33.15 | 32. |
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| Heat 5 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Lynn Vidali | USA | 2:24.92 | 1. | | 2. Yoshimi Nishigawa | JPN | 2:26.61 | 7. | | 3. Birutė Užkuraititė | URS | 2:31.11 | 21. | | 4. Susan Richardson | GBR | 2:31.24 | 23. | | 5. Judit Turóczy | HUN | 2:32.63 | 27. | | 6. Trine Krogh | NOR | 2:36.27 | 37. | | 7. Felicia Ospitaletche | URU | 2:37.69 | 39. |
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| Heat 6 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shane Gould | AUS | 2:26.44 | 6. | | 2. Kaczander-Kiss Ágnes | HUN | 2:28.05 | 11. | | 3. Yukari Takemoto | JPN | 2:29.41 | 14. | | 4. Susanne Niesner | SUI | 2:30.87 | 19. | | 5. Karin Bormann | FRG | 2:31.19 | 22. | | 6. Helmi Boxberger | FRG | 2:33.71 | 34. | | 7. Roselina Angee | COL | 2:45.46 | 42. | | 8. Ong Mei Lin | MAS | 2:48.13 | 43. |
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