| 1 | Christa Rothenburger (Senior) | GDR | 41.02 | OR | - |
| 2 | Karin Enke (Neo) | GDR | 41.28 | | +0.260 |
| 3 | Natalja Sjive-Glebova (Neo) | URS | 41.50 | | +0.480 |
| 4 | Irina Kulesjova-Kovrova (Neo) | URS | 41.70 | | +0.680 |
| 5 | Skadi Walter (Neo) | GDR | 42.16 | | +1.140 |
| 6 | Natalja Petrusjova (Senior) | URS | 42.19 | | +1.170 |
| 7 | Monika Holzner-Pflug (M30) | FRG | 42.40 | | +1.380 |
| 8 | Bonnie Blair (Neo) | USA | 42.53 | | +1.510 |
| 9 | Erwina Rys-Ferens (Senior) | POL | 42.71 | | +1.690 |
| 10 | Katie Class (Neo) | USA | 42.97 | | +1.950 |
| 11 | Seiko Hashimoto (A2) | JPN | 42.99 | | +1.970 |
| Sylvia Brunner (Senior) | SUI | 42.99 | | +1.970 |
| 13 | Connie Paraskevin (Neo) | USA | 43.05 | | +2.030 |
| 14 | Zofia Tokarczyk (Neo) | POL | 43.13 | | +2.110 |
| 15 | Lilianna Jezierska-Morawiec (Neo) | POL | 43.43 | | +2.410 |
| 16 | Hiromi Ozawa (Neo) | JPN | 43.46 | | +2.440 |
| 17 | Marzia Peretti (A2) | ITA | 43.63 | | +2.610 |
| 18 | Annette Carlén-Karlsson (Senior) | SWE | 43.65 | | +2.630 |
| 19 | Emese Nemeth-Hunyady (A1) | HUN | 43.70 | | +2.680 |
| 20 | Sylvie Daigle (Neo) | CAN | 43.74 | | +2.720 |
| Sigrid Smuda (Senior) | FRG | 43.74 | | +2.720 |
| 22 | Shouko Fusano (A1) | JPN | 43.75 | | +2.730 |
| Yeon-Joo.64 Lee (Neo) | KOR | 43.75 | | +2.730 |
| 24 | Edel Therese Høiseth (A1) | NOR | 43.96 | | +2.940 |
| 25 | Guifeng Cao (Neo) | CHN | 44.11 | | +3.090 |
| 26 | Guoqin Shen (Neo) | CHN | 44.21 | | +3.190 |
| 27 | Thea Limbach (Senior) | NED | 44.31 | | +3.290 |
| 28 | Miao Min (Senior) | CHN | 44.49 | | +3.470 |
| 29 | Seung-Yoon Choi (A2) | KOR | 44.79 | | +3.770 |
| 30 | Ria Visser (Neo) | NED | 45.05 | | +4.030 |
| 31 | Dubravka Vukusic (A1) | YUG | 51.99 | | +10.970 |
| 32 | Bibija Kerla (Senior) | YUG | 58.23 | | +17.210 |
| 33 | Alie Boorsma (Senior) | NED | 1:02.05 | | +21.030 |