| Final | time | | 1. Jarmila Kratochvilova | TCH | 1:54.68 | | 2. Lyubov Gurina | URS | 1:56.11 | | 3. Yekaterina Podkopayeva | URS | 1:57.58 | | 4. Margrit Klinger | FRG | 1:58.11 | | 5. Robin Campbell | USA | 2:00.03 | | 6. Doina Melinte | ROU | 2:00.13 | | 7. Milena Matejkovicova-Strnadova | TCH | 2:01.72 | | 8. Antje Schroder | GDR | 2:02.13 |
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| Semi 1 | time | | 1. Yekaterina Podkopayeva | URS | 1:59.55 | | 2. Jarmila Kratochvilova | TCH | 1:59.58 | | 3. Milena Matejkovicova-Strnadova | TCH | 2:00.02 | | 4. Robin Campbell | USA | 2:00.22 | | 5. Jolanta Januchta | POL | 2:01.23 | | 6. Jill McCabe | SWE | 2:01.92 | | 7. Elena Lina | ROU | 2:03.59 | | 8. Celestine N'Drin | CIV | 2:08.14 |
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| Semi 2 | time | | 1. Lyubov Gurina | URS | 1:59.33 | | 2. Antje Schroder | GDR | 1:59.46 | | 3. Margrit Klinger | FRG | 1:59.49 | | 4. Doina Melinte | ROU | 1:59.60 | | 5. Zuzana Moravcikova | TCH | 1:59.96 | | 6. Totka Petrova | BUL | 2:01.32 | | 7. Tina Krebs | DEN | 2:02.19 | | 8. Jennifer Bean | BER | 2:12.93 |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Margrit Klinger | FRG | 2:02.08 | | 2. Jolanta Januchta | POL | 2:02.58 | | 3. Milena Matejkovicova-Strnadova | TCH | 2:02.60 | | 4. Elena Lina | ROU | 2:04.50 | | 5. Attina Sawtell | CKI | 2:18.25 | | 6. Kungu Bakombo | COD | 2:19.68 |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Yekaterina Podkopayeva | URS | 2:06.42 | | 2. Totka Petrova | BUL | 2:06.60 | | 3. Zuzana Moravcikova | TCH | 2:06.76 | | 4. Jill McCabe | SWE | 2:07.23 | | 5. Maria Lomba | STP | 2:21.90 | | -. Fatalmoudou Toure | MLI | DQ |
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| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Antje Schroder | GDR | 2:10.61 | | 2. Jarmila Kratochvilova | TCH | 2:12.35 | | 3. Celestine N'Drin | CIV | 2:12.52 | | 4. Hala El Moughrabi | SYR | 2:15.37 | | 5. Eucaris Caicedo | COL | 2:17.06 | | 6. Sofiya Mohamed | COM | 2:55.64 | | -. Irina Podyalovskaya | URS | DNS |
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| Heat 4 | time | | 1. Lyubov Gurina | URS | 2:04.17 | | 2. Doina Melinte | ROU | 2:04.30 | | 3. Robin Campbell | USA | 2:04.83 | | 4. Tina Krebs | DEN | 2:05.49 | | 5. Jennifer Bean | BER | 2:13.80 | | 6. Be Trinh Thi | VIE | 2:17.54 | | 7. Khadija Al Matari | JOR | 2:28.72 |
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