| 1 | Karin Enke  (A2) | GDR | 42.06 | (1) | TRJ | 1:25.83 | (1) | TR | 42.55 | (2) |  | 1:27.19 | (1) |  | 171.120 | TR | - | 
| 2 | Leah Poulos-Mueller  (Senior) | USA | 42.47 | (2) |  | 1:27.32 | (4) |  | 42.25 | (1) |  | 1:32.41 | (12) |  | 174.585 |  | +3.465 | 
| 3 | Beth Heiden  (Neo) | USA | 43.56 | (6) |  | 1:27.17 | (3) |  | 43.43 | (5) |  | 1:29.11 | (2) |  | 175.130 |  | +4.010 | 
| 4 | Christa Rothenburger  (Neo) | GDR | 43.03 | (3) |  | 1:28.52 | (10) |  | 43.40 | (4) |  | 1:32.13 | (8) |  | 176.755 |  | +5.635 | 
| 5 | Irina Kovrova  (A1) | URS | 43.48 | (5) |  | 1:28.48 | (9) |  | 43.73 | (6) |  | 1:32.51 | (14) |  | 177.705 |  | +6.585 | 
| 6 | Cornelia Jacob  (Neo) | GDR | 43.58 | (7) |  | 1:28.68 | (12) |  | 43.24 | (3) |  | 1:33.21 | (17) |  | 177.765 |  | +6.645 | 
| 7 | Sylvia Burka  (Senior) | CAN | 44.34 | (14) |  | 1:27.42 | (5) |  | 44.14 | (11) |  | 1:31.41 | (5) |  | 177.895 |  | +6.775 | 
| 8 | Ann-Sofie Järnström  (M30) | SWE | 43.97 | (11) |  | 1:28.64 | (11) |  | 43.88 | (7) |  | 1:31.77 | (6) |  | 178.055 |  | +6.935 | 
| 9 | Sylvia Filipsson  (Senior) | SWE | 44.55 | (16) |  | 1:28.19 | (8) |  | 44.55 | (13) |  | 1:30.06 | (3) |  | 178.225 |  | +7.105 | 
| 10 | Valentina Lalenkova-Golovenkina  (Neo) | URS | 43.81 | (9) |  | 1:28.86 | (13) |  | 44.06 | (9) |  | 1:32.48 | (13) |  | 178.540 |  | +7.420 | 
| 11 | Sarah Docter  (B1) | USA | 45.02 | (22) |  | 1:27.07 | (2) |  | 44.65 | (15) |  | 1:32.01 | (7) |  | 179.210 | SB | +8.090 | 
| 12 | Makiko Nagaya  (Senior) | JPN | 43.67 | (8) |  | 1:30.23 | (19) |  | 43.92 | (8) |  | 1:33.26 | (18) |  | 179.335 |  | +8.215 | 
| 13 | Tatjana Tarasova-Kovalenko  (Neo) | URS | 43.45 | (4) |  | 1:30.52 | (21) |  | 44.07 | (10) |  | 1:34.33 | (22) |  | 179.945 |  | +8.825 | 
| 14 | Annie Borckink  (Senior) | NED | 45.39 | (24) |  | 1:28.97 | (14) |  | 45.30 | (21) |  | 1:30.15 | (4) |  | 180.250 |  | +9.130 | 
| 15 | Connie Paraskevin  (A1) | USA | 44.68 | (17) |  | 1:30.93 | (24) |  | 44.15 | (12) |  | 1:32.35 | (10) |  | 180.470 |  | +9.350 | 
| 16 | Kathy Vogt  (Neo) | CAN | 44.01 | (12) |  | 1:27.69 | (6) |  | 46.66 | (27) |  | 1:32.18 | (9) |  | 180.605 |  | +9.485 | 
| 17 | Sylvia Brunner  (Neo) | SUI | 44.22 | (13) |  | 1:29.54 | (16) |  | 44.92 | (19) |  | 1:33.43 | (19) |  | 180.625 |  | +9.505 | 
| 18 | Yuko Ota-Yaegashi  (Neo) | JPN | 45.00 | (21) |  | 1:30.02 | (17) |  | 44.63 | (14) |  | 1:32.69 | (16) |  | 180.985 | SB | +9.865 | 
| 19 | Monika Holzner-Pflug  (Senior) | FRG | 44.71 | (18) |  | 1:30.13 | (18) |  | 44.80 | (18) |  | 1:33.76 | (20) |  | 181.455 |  | +10.335 | 
| 20 | Miyoshi Kato  (B2) | JPN | 45.47 | (26) |  | 1:30.66 | (23) |  | 44.73 | (16) |  | 1:32.64 | (15) |  | 181.850 | SB | +10.730 | 
| 21 | Sylvie Daigle  (B2) | CAN | 43.87 | (10) |  | 1:30.29 | (20) |  | 46.33 | (26) |  | 1:35.05 | (24) |  | 182.870 |  | +11.750 | 
| 22 | Marzia Peretti  (C2) | ITA | 44.81 | (20) |  | 1:31.94 | (26) |  | 44.73 | (16) |  | 1:35.97 | (25) |  | 183.495 |  | +12.375 | 
| 23 | Turid Lillehagen-Welo  (Neo) | NOR | 44.72 | (19) |  | 1:31.09 | (25) |  | 46.28 | (25) |  | 1:34.38 | (23) |  | 183.735 | SB | +12.615 | 
| 24 | Brigitte Flierl  (Neo) | FRG | 45.45 | (25) |  | 1:30.59 | (22) |  | 45.77 | (24) |  | 1:36.97 | (26) |  | 185.000 |  | +13.880 | 
| 25 | Hyeon-Sook Lim  (B2) | KOR | 45.75 | (27) |  | 1:50.37 | (28) |  | 45.12 | (20) | NRJ | 1:37.10 | (27) | SB | 194.605 | NRJ | +23.485 | 
| 26 | Taina Salmia  (A1) | FIN | 47.57 | (29) |  | 1:39.23 | (27) | SB | 47.83 | (28) |  | 1:42.82 | (28) |  | 196.425 | SB | +25.305 | 
| 27 | Ria Visser  (A1) | NED | 45.79 | (28) |  | 1:28.07 | (7) |  | 45.66 | (22) |  | 2:09.06 | (29) |  | 200.310 |  | +29.190 | 
|  | Sijtje van der Lende  (M30) | NED | 45.37 | (23) |  | 1:29.06 | (15) |  | DQ |  |  | 1:32.36 | (11) |  | 136.080 |  | - | 
|  | Ann-Mari Tollefsen  (Neo) | NOR | 44.38 | (15) | SB | DQ |  |  | 45.71 | (23) |  | 1:33.89 | (21) |  | 137.035 |  | - |