| Final | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Petra Thümer | GDR | 4:09.89 | 6. | | 2. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 4:10.46 | 2. | | 3. Shannon Smith | CAN | 4:14.60 | 3. | | 4. Rebecca Perrott | NZL | 4:14.76 | 1. | | 5. Kathy Heddy | USA | 4:15.50 | 7. | | 6. Brenda Borgh | USA | 4:17.43 | 5. | | 7. Annelies Maas | NED | 4:17.44 | 4. | | 8. Sabine Kahle | GDR | 4:20.42 | 8. |
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| Heat 5 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Petra Thümer | GDR | 4:17.20 | 6. | | 2. Rosemary Milgate | AUS | 4:21.20 | 13. | | 3. Jenny Turrall | AUS | 4:21.33 | 14. | | 4. Allison Calder | NZL | 4:23.64 | 15. | | 5. Eleonora Pandini | ITA | 4:34.69 | 24. | | 6. Myriam Mizouni | TUN | 4:43.11 | 28. | | 7. Georgina Osorio | PAN | 4:49.80 | 32. |
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| Heat 4 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 4:16.07 | 2. | | 2. Shannon Smith | CAN | 4:16.70 | 3. | | 3. Sabine Kahle | GDR | 4:19.34 | 8. | | 4. Irina Vlasova | URS | 4:21.19 | 12. | | 5. Rachaniw Bulakul | THA | 4:32.98 | 22. | | 6. Susan Edmondson | GBR | 4:33.33 | 23. | | 7. Diana Hatler | PUR | 4:49.73 | 31. |
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| Heat 3 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Annelies Maas | NED | 4:17.16 | 4. | | 2. Kathy Heddy | USA | 4:19.34 | 7. | | 3. Susan Barnard | GBR | 4:30.05 | 19. | | 4. Maria Guimarães | BRA | 4:32.63 | 21. | | 5. Linda Faber | NED | 4:36.98 | 25. | | 6. Susana Coppo | ARG | 4:57.41 | 33. |
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| Heat 2 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Brenda Borgh | USA | 4:17.20 | 5. | | 2. Wendy Quirk | CAN | 4:19.69 | 9. | | 3. Wendy Lee | CAN | 4:20.16 | 11. | | 4. Laura Bortolotti | ITA | 4:29.71 | 18. | | 5. Antonia Real | ESP | 4:30.37 | 20. | | 6. Fernanda Pérez | COL | 4:45.73 | 29. | | 7. Karen Robertson | HKG | 5:03.90 | 34. |
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| Heat 1 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Rebecca Perrott | NZL | 4:15.71 | 1. | | 2. Regina Jäger | GDR | 4:20.05 | 10. | | 3. Tracey Wickham | AUS | 4:24.44 | 16. | | 4. Carine Verbauwen | BEL | 4:26.27 | 17. | | 5. María Pérez | VEN | 4:38.93 | 26. | | 6. María Paris | CRC | 4:40.35 | 27. | | 7. Vilborg Sverrisdóttir | ISL | 4:48.28 | 30. |
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