| Final | time | | gap | | 1. Adrie Lasterig |  Netherlands | 5:27.8 | ER | | | 2. Anita Lonsbrough |  Great Britain | 5:32.2 | | +4.4s | | 3. Martha Egervari |  Hungary | 5:33.3 | | +5.5s | | 4. Marianne Heemskerk | Netherlands | 5:35.1 | | +7.3s | | 5. Harriet Blank |  East Germany | 5:40.3 | | +12.5s | | 6. Gisela Nuessler | East Germany | 5:45.2 | | +17.4s | | 7. Elizabeth Ljunggren |  Sweden | 5:45.9 | | +18.1s | | 8. Soetslava Babanina |  Russia | 5:54.2 | | +26.4s |
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| World Record: Sharon Finneran, United States 5:21.9 1960 |
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Heats - Friday, 24th August |
| Heat 1 | time | | Rk. | | 1. Adrie Lasterig | Netherlands | 5:34.5 | | 2. | | 2. Yvonna Tobisova |  Czechoslovakia | 6:00.0 | | 10. | | 3. Anna Benneck |  Italy | 6:08.0 | | 12. | | 4. Isabel Castane |  Spain | 6:11.0 | | 15. | | 5. Brit Korsvold |  Norway | 6:19.4 | NR | 18. |
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| Heat 2 | time | | Rk. | | 1. Anita Lonsbrough | Great Britain | 5:40.9 | | 4. | | 2. Gisela Nuessler | East Germany | 5:54.1 | | 7. | | 3. Svetlana Babanina | Russia | 5:55.3 | | 8. | | 4. Kirsten Strange |  Denmark | 6:07.5 | | 11. | | 5. Christina Balaban |  Romania | 6:10.5 | | 14. |
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| Heat 3 | time | Rk. | | 1. Marianne Heemskerk | Netherlands | 5:33.7 | 1. | | 2. Martha Egervari | Hungary | 5:40.8 | 3. | | 3. Harriet Blank | East Germany | 5:43.4 | 5. | | 4. Anna Tuczenska |  Poland | 6:08.2 | 13. |
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| Heat 4 | time | | Rk. | | 1. Elizabeth Ljunggren | Sweden | 5:48.7 | | 6. | | 2. Patricia Baines | Great Britain | 5:58.5 | | 9. | | 3. Hannelore Janele |  Austria | 6:12.7 | NR | 16. | | 4. Karin Mueller |  Switzerland | 6:12.8 | NR | 17. |
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