| 1 | Natalja Petrusjova (Senior) | URS | 1:24.10 | OR, TR | - |
| 2 | Leah Poulos-Mueller (Senior) | USA | 1:25.41 | | +1.310 |
| 3 | Sylvia Albrecht (B2) | GDR | 1:26.46 | TRJ | +2.360 |
| 4 | Karin Enke (A2) | GDR | 1:26.66 | | +2.560 |
| 5 | Beth Heiden (Neo) | USA | 1:27.01 | | +2.910 |
| 6 | Annie Borckink (Senior) | NED | 1:27.24 | | +3.140 |
| 7 | Sylvia Burka (Senior) | CAN | 1:27.50 | | +3.400 |
| 8 | Ann-Sofie Järnström (M30) | SWE | 1:28.10 | | +4.000 |
| 9 | Sylvia Filipsson (Senior) | SWE | 1:28.18 | | +4.080 |
| 10 | Annette Karlsson (Neo) | SWE | 1:28.25 | | +4.150 |
| 11 | Valentina Lalenkova-Golovenkina (Neo) | URS | 1:28.27 | | +4.170 |
| 12 | Bjørg Eva Jensen (Neo) | NOR | 1:28.55 | | +4.450 |
| 13 | Sijtje van der Lende (M30) | NED | 1:28.72 | | +4.620 |
| 14 | Haitske Valentijn-Pijlman (Senior) | NED | 1:28.80 | | +4.700 |
| Sarah Docter (B1) | USA | 1:28.80 | | +4.700 |
| 16 | Erwina Rys-Ferens (Senior) | POL | 1:28.82 | | +4.720 |
| 17 | Miyoshi Kato (B2) | JPN | 1:28.97 | | +4.870 |
| 18 | Christa Rothenburger (Neo) | GDR | 1:29.69 | | +5.590 |
| 19 | Brenda Webster (A1) | CAN | 1:29.84 | | +5.740 |
| 20 | Irina Kovrova (A1) | URS | 1:29.94 | | +5.840 |
| 21 | Monika Holzner-Pflug (Senior) | FRG | 1:30.13 | | +6.030 |
| 22 | Makiko Nagaya (Senior) | JPN | 1:30.27 | | +6.170 |
| 23 | Sigrid Smuda (Neo) | FRG | 1:30.29 | | +6.190 |
| 24 | Kathy Vogt (Neo) | CAN | 1:30.33 | | +6.230 |
| 25 | Yuko Ota-Yaegashi (Neo) | JPN | 1:30.72 | | +6.620 |
| 26 | Nam-Soon Lee (A2) | KOR | 1:31.30 | SB | +7.200 |
| Guifeng Cao (A2) | CHN | 1:31.74 | NRJ, NR | +7.640 |
| 27 | Anneli Repola-Risku (Senior) | FIN | 1:31.76 | | +7.660 |
| 28 | Sylvia Brunner (Neo) | SUI | 1:31.79 | | +7.690 |
| 29 | Sung-Ae Lee (B2) | KOR | 1:32.04 | SB | +7.940 |
| 30 | Zhang Li (B2) | CHN | 1:32.20 | NRJ | +8.100 |
| 31 | Zhenshu Shen (A1) | CHN | 1:32.49 | PB | +8.390 |
| 32 | Brigitte Flierl (Neo) | FRG | 1:33.61 | | +9.510 |
| 33 | Yeong-Hee Kim (Senior) | KOR | 1:34.17 | PB | +10.070 |
| 34 | Kim Ferran (Neo) | GBR | 1:34.19 | SB | +10.090 |
| 35 | Marzia Peretti (C2) | ITA | 1:35.66 | | +11.560 |
| 36 | Amanda Horsepool (Neo) | GBR | 1:36.31 | | +12.210 |