| 1 | Tatjana Averina (Senior) | URS | 1:28.43 | OR | - |
| 2 | Leah Poulos (Senior) | USA | 1:28.57 | | +0.140 |
| 3 | Sheila Young (Senior) | USA | 1:29.14 | | +0.710 |
| 4 | Sylvia Burka (Neo) | CAN | 1:29.47 | | +1.040 |
| 5 | Monika Holzner-Pflug (Neo) | FRG | 1:29.54 | | +1.110 |
| 6 | Cathy Priestner (Neo) | CAN | 1:29.66 | | +1.230 |
| 7 | Ljudmila Titova (M30) | URS | 1:30.06 | | +1.630 |
| 8 | Heike Lange (Neo) | GDR | 1:30.55 | | +2.120 |
| 9 | Makiko Nagaya (Neo) | JPN | 1:31.23 | | +2.800 |
| 10 | Erwina Rys (Neo) | POL | 1:31.59 | | +3.160 |
| 11 | Sijtje van der Lende (Senior) | NED | 1:31.66 | | +3.230 |
| 12 | Monika Zernicek (Neo) | GDR | 1:31.68 | | +3.250 |
| 13 | Paula-Irmeli Halonen (M30) | FIN | 1:31.72 | | +3.290 |
| 14 | Ann-Sofie Järnström (Senior) | SWE | 1:32.06 | | +3.630 |
| 15 | Tatjana Sjelekhova-Rastopsjina (M30) | URS | 1:32.08 | | +3.650 |
| 16 | Annie Borckink (Senior) | NED | 1:32.50 | | +4.070 |
| 17 | Tuula Vilkas (Senior) | FIN | 1:32.94 | | +4.510 |
| 18 | Sigrid Sundby-Dybedahl (M30) | NOR | 1:33.05 | | +4.620 |
| 19 | Ewa Malewicka (Neo) | POL | 1:33.89 | | +5.460 |
| 20 | Yuko Ota (A2) | JPN | 1:33.99 | | +5.560 |
| 21 | Ute Dix (Neo) | GDR | 1:34.14 | | +5.710 |
| 22 | Elisabeth Appleby (B2) | CAN | 1:34.27 | | +5.840 |
| 23 | Christa Jaarsma (Neo) | NED | 1:34.63 | | +6.200 |
| 24 | Keiko Hasegawa (Neo) | JPN | 1:35.42 | | +6.990 |
| 25 | Nam-Soon Lee (C2) | KOR | 1:35.58 | | +7.150 |
| 26 | Janina Urszula Korowicka (Neo) | POL | 1:35.81 | | +7.380 |
| DQ | Peggy Crowe (Neo) | USA | DQ | | - |