| 1 | Christa Rothenburger (Senior) | GDR | 1:17.65 | WR | - |
| 2 | Karin Kania-Enke (Senior) | GDR | 1:17.70 | PB | +0.050 |
| 3 | Bonnie Blair (Senior) | USA | 1:18.31 | NR | +0.660 |
| 4 | Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich (Senior) | GDR | 1:19.32 | PB | +1.670 |
| 5 | Seiko Hashimoto (Neo) | JPN | 1:19.75 | NR | +2.100 |
| 6 | Angela Stahnke (Neo) | GDR | 1:20.05 | SB | +2.400 |
| 7 | Leslie Bader (Senior) | USA | 1:21.09 | PB | +3.440 |
| 8 | Katie Class (Senior) | USA | 1:21.10 | PB | +3.450 |
| 9 | Natalie Grenier (Senior) | CAN | 1:21.15 | NR | +3.500 |
| 10 | Erwina Rys-Ferens (Senior) | POL | 1:21.44 | NR | +3.790 |
| 11 | Shouko Fusano (Neo) | JPN | 1:21.47 | PB | +3.820 |
| 12 | Christine Aaftink (Neo) | NED | 1:21.63 | NR | +3.980 |
| 13 | Zofia Tokarczyk (Senior) | POL | 1:21.80 | PB | +4.150 |
| 14 | Shelley Rhead (Neo) | CAN | 1:21.84 | PB | +4.190 |
| 15 | Edel Therese Høiseth (Neo) | NOR | 1:21.90 | | +4.250 |
| 16 | Emese Nemeth-Hunyady (Neo) | AUT | 1:22.22 | NR | +4.570 |
| 17 | Seon-Hee Yoo (Neo) | KOR | 1:22.35 | NR | +4.700 |
| 18 | Jelena Iljina (Neo) | URS | 1:22.40 | PB | +4.750 |
| 19 | Ariane Loignon (Neo) | CAN | 1:22.75 | PB | +5.100 |
| 20 | Natalja Sjive-Glebova (Senior) | URS | 1:22.99 | SB | +5.340 |
| 21 | Ingrid Haringa (Neo) | NED | 1:23.15 | | +5.500 |
| 22 | Noriko Miyaji (Neo) | JPN | 1:23.49 | SB | +5.840 |
| 23 | Chun-Ok Han (Neo) | PRK | 1:24.26 | NR | +6.610 |
| 24 | Nancy Swider-Peltz (M30) | USA | 1:24.81 | SB | +7.160 |
| 25 | Marie-Pierre Lamarche (A2) | CAN | 1:25.18 | | +7.530 |
| 26 | Bibija Kerla (Senior) | YUG | 1:30.89 | NR | +13.240 |
| DNS | Marie-France van Helden-Vives (Senior) | FRA | DNS | | - |
| DQ | Hwa-Seon Song (Neo) | PRK | DQ | | - |