| Final | | time | | | 1. Verona Elder |  Great Britain | 51.80s | PB | | 2. Jarmila Kratochvílová |  Czechoslovakia | 51.81s | SB | | 3. Karoline Käfer |  Austria | 51.90s | NR | | 4. Barbara Krug |  East Germany | 52.36s | PB |
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Heats - Saturday, 24th February | | First 2 from each Heat advanced to Final. |
| Heat 1 | | time | | | 3. Barbara Krug | East Germany | 53.07s | Q | | 4. Verona Elder | Great Britain | 53.11s | Q | | 6. Véronique Grandrieux |  France | 53.28s | PB | | 7. Mariya Kulchunova |  Soviet Union | 53.49s | SB |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 1. Jarmila Kratochvílová | Czechoslovakia | 52.44s | Q | | 2. Karoline Käfer | Austria | 52.88s | Q | | 5. Brigitte Köhn | East Germany | 53.23s | SB | | 8. Barbro Ahonen-Lindström |  Finland | 54.19s | PB |
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