| Final 16:35 | Team | time | | | | 1. Mariya Itkina |  URS | 53.4s | WR | | 2. Joy Grieveson |  GBR | 53.9s | NR | | 3. Tilly van der Zwaard |  NED | 54.4s | NR | | 4. Helga Henning |  FRG | 54.6s | NR | | 5. Yekaterina Parlyuk | URS | 54.9s | | | 6. Maeve Kyle |  IRL | 57.5s | |
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| History Women 400m | | World and European Recdord: Itkina (URS) 53.4s |
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| | | First 3 progress to Final. |
| Semi 1 | time | | | 1. Mariya Itkina | URS | 54.3s | Q | | 2. Tilly van der Zwaard | NED | 54.6s | NR Q | | 3. Maeve Kyle | IRL | 55.4s | Q | | 4. Bärbel Reinnagel |  GDR | 55.7s | | | 5. Janina Hasse |  POL | 56.1s | | | 6. Pam Piercy | GBR | 57.4s | |
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| Semi 2 | time | | | 1. Joy Grieveson | GBR | 54.2s | NR Q | | 2. Yekaterina Parlyuk | URS | 54.3s | Q | | 3. Helga Henning | FRG | 54.7s | NR Q | | 4. Antónia Munkácsi |  HUN | 55.3s | NR | | 5. Vera Kummerfeld | FRG | 55.6s | | | 6. Nadja Simic |  YUG | 56.4s | NR | | 7. Jean Sorrell | GBR | 56.9s | |
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Heats - Wednesday 12.09 18:10 | | First 3 progress to Final. |
| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Yekaterina Parlyuk | URS | 54.9s | Q | | 2. Maeve Kyle | IRL | 55.1s | Q | | 3. Vera Kummerfeld | FRG | 55.7s | Q | | 4. Evelyne Lebret |  FRA | 56.2s | NR | | 5. Libuše Králíčková |  TCH | 56.3s | NR |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Joy Grieveson | GBR | 54.8s | Q | | 2. Bärbel Reinnagel | GDR | 55.5s | Q | | 3. Janina Hasse | POL | 55.7s | Q | | 4. Vera Mukhanova | URS | 55.8s | | | 5. Tsvetana Isaeva |  BUL | 57.1s | |
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| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Mariya Itkina | URS | 54.4s | Q | | 2. Tilly van der Zwaard | NED | 55.4s | Q | | 3. Nadja Simic | YUG | 56.5s | Q | | 3. Pam Piercy | GBR | 56.5s | Q |
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| Heat 4 | time | | | 1. Jean Sorrell | GBR | 55.5s | Q | | 2. Helga Henning | FRG | 55.7s | Q | | 3. Antónia Munkácsi | HUN | 55.8s | Q | | 4. Delma Savorelli |  ITA | 56.9s | |
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