| Final | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Keena Rothhammer | USA | 8:53.68 | 1. | | 2. Shane Gould | AUS | 8:56.39 | 3. | | 3. Novella Calligaris | ITA | 8:57.46 | 2. | | 4. Ann Simmons | USA | 8:57.62 | 5. | | 5. Gudrun Wegner | GDR | 8:58.89 | 4. | | 6. Jo Harshbarger | USA | 9:01.21 | 6. | | 7. Hansje Bunschoten | NED | 9:16.69 | 8. | | 8. Narelle Moras | AUS | 9:19.06 | 7. |
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| Heat 1 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Novella Calligaris | ITA | 9:02.96 | 2. | | 2. Andrea Eife | GDR | 9:22.88 | 9. | | 3. Barbara Schwarzfeldt | FRG | 9:24.89 | 11. | | 4. María Teresa Ramírez | MEX | 9:25.09 | 12. | | 5. Françoise Monod | SUI | 9:50.73 | 27. | | 6. Hsu Yue-Yun | TPE | 10:08.49 | 32. | | 7. Eleni Avlonitou | GRE | 10:10.88 | 34. |
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| Heat 2 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Keena Rothhammer | USA | 8:59.69 | 1. | | 2. Hansje Bunschoten | NED | 9:21.13 | 8. | | 3. Uta Schütz | FRG | 9:22.93 | 10. | | 4. Olga de Angulo | COL | 9:43.27 | 21. | | 5. Helga Wagner | FRG | 9:44.17 | 23. | | 6. Olga Petruseva | URS | 10:04.96 | 30. | | 7. Silvia Borgini | ARG | 10:09.19 | 33. |
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| Heat 3 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Ann Simmons | USA | 9:11.94 | 5. | | 2. Narelle Moras | AUS | 9:17.95 | 7. | | 3. Roselina Angee | COL | 9:38.08 | 18. | | 4. June Green | GBR | 9:39.91 | 20. | | 5. Laura Vaca | MEX | 9:50.10 | 26. | | 6. Belinda Phillips | JAM | 9:53.99 | 28. | | 7. Avis Willington | GBR | 10:10.91 | 35. |
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| Heat 4 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shane Gould | AUS | 9:10.84 | 3. | | 2. Gudrun Wegner | GDR | 9:11.32 | 4. | | 3. Karin Tülling | GDR | 9:25.73 | 14. | | 4. Federica Stabilini | ITA | 9:27.84 | 15. | | 5. Mary Beth Rondeau | CAN | 9:43.31 | 22. | | 6. Antonella Valentini | ITA | 9:49.07 | 25. | | 7. Patricia López | ARG | 10:06.39 | 31. |
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| Heat 5 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Jo Harshbarger | USA | 9:14.46 | 6. | | 2. Karen Moras | AUS | 9:25.11 | 13. | | 3. Jaynie Parkhouse | NZL | 9:34.65 | 16. | | 4. Karen LeGresley | CAN | 9:37.13 | 17. | | 5. Brenda Holmes | CAN | 9:39.44 | 19. | | 6. Susan Jones | GBR | 9:47.35 | 24. | | 7. Kirsten Knudsen | DEN | 10:02.56 | 29. | | 8. Aisling O'Leary | IRE | 10:18.05 | 36. |
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