| 1 | Joan Baptiste | GBR | 23,34 | Q | |
| 2 | Marita Koch | GDR | 23,59 | Q | |
| 3 | Liliane Gaschet | FRA | 23,60 | Q | |
| 4 | Lydia De Vega | PHI | 24,45 | Q | |
| 5 | Felicite Bada | BEN | 26,98 | NR | |
| 6 | Marjorie Gentle | BIZ | 27,90 | ||
| 7 | Annah Mathunjwa | SWZ | 29,38 | NR |
| 1 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | USA | 23,05 | Q | |
| 2 | Marie-Christine Cazier-Ballo | FRA | 23,55 | Q | |
| 3 | Angela Bailey | CAN | 23,93 | Q | |
| 4 | Ruperta Charles | ANT | 24,11 | Q | |
| 5 | Koumba Kante | GUI | 27,86 | NR | |
| 6 | Rose Phillips-King | BVI | 28,50 | ||
| Amie Ndow | GAM | DQ |
| 1 | Kathy Smallwood-Cook | GBR | 23,20 | Q |
| 2 | Marisa Masullo | ITA | 23,37 | Q |
| 3 | Nadezhda Georgieva | BUL | 23,53 | Q |
| 4 | Stepanka Sokolova | TCH | 23,82 | Q |
| 5 | Rufina Ubah | NGR | 24,12 | q |
| 6 | Margarita Grun | URU | 24,84 | q |
| 7 | Sandra Liburd | STK | 26,13 | |
| 8 | Cornelia Baptiste | STL | 26,29 |
| 1 | Grace Jackson | JAM | 23,09 | Q |
| 2 | Ewa Kasprzyk | POL | 23,21 | Q |
| 3 | Anelia Nuneva | BUL | 23,31 | Q |
| 4 | Ute Thimm | FRG | 23,56 | Q |
| 5 | Sandra Whittaker | GBR | 23,63 | q |
| 6 | Myong-Hee Mo | KOR | 24,63 | q |
| 7 | Evelyne Farrell | AHO | 25,52 | q |
| 8 | Florence Gaza | SOL | 30,43 |
| 1 | Merlene Ottey | JAM | 23,23 | Q | |
| 2 | Irina Olkhovnikova | URS | 23,65 | Q | |
| 3 | Helinä Marjamaa | FIN | 23,82 | Q | |
| 4 | Dorthe A. Rasmussen | DEN | 23,84 | Q | |
| 5 | Lena Möller | SWE | 23,99 | q | |
| 6 | Elanga Buala | PNG | 25,59 | q | |
| 7 | Judith Nimpaye | BUR | 30,25 | NR |
| 1 | Randy Givens | USA | 23,01 | Q |
| 2 | Yelena Vinogradova | URS | 23,37 | Q |
| 3 | Denise Robertson-Boyd | AUS | 23,38 | Q |
| 4 | Pauline Davis-Thompson | BAH | 23,57 | Q |
| 5 | Mary Mensah | GHA | 24,91 | q |
| 6 | Marisol Garcia | NCA | 25,92 | |
| 7 | Marie-Ange Wirtz | SEY | 26,13 |
| 1 | Grace Jackson | JAM | 23,06 | Q |
| 2 | Anelia Nuneva | BUL | 23,22 | Q |
| 3 | Denise Robertson-Boyd | AUS | 23,28 | Q |
| 4 | Irina Olkhovnikova | URS | 23,48 | Q |
| 5 | Dorthe A. Rasmussen | DEN | 23,61 | |
| 6 | Ute Thimm | FRG | 23,68 | |
| 7 | Lydia De Vega | PHI | 24,16 | |
| Mary Mensah | GHA | DNS |
| 1 | Kathy Smallwood-Cook | GBR | 22,78 | Q |
| 2 | Ewa Kasprzyk | POL | 22,93 | Q |
| 3 | Helinä Marjamaa | FIN | 23,11 | Q |
| 4 | Nadezhda Georgieva | BUL | 23,14 | Q |
| 5 | Marie-Christine Cazier-Ballo | FRA | 23,30 | |
| 6 | Stepanka Sokolova | TCH | 23,75 | |
| 7 | Margarita Grun | URU | 24,59 | |
| 8 | Myong-Hee Mo | KOR | 24,74 |
| 1 | Merlene Ottey | JAM | 22,38 | Q |
| 2 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | USA | 22,55 | Q |
| 3 | Angela Bailey | CAN | 23,25 | Q |
| 4 | Marisa Masullo | ITA | 23,58 | Q |
| 5 | Sandra Whittaker | GBR | 23,58 | |
| 6 | Pauline Davis-Thompson | BAH | 23,64 | |
| 7 | Rufina Ubah | NGR | 24,72 | |
| Evelyne Farrell | AHO | DNS |
| 1 | Marita Koch | GDR | 23,03 | Q |
| 2 | Joan Baptiste | GBR | 23,29 | Q |
| 3 | Liliane Gaschet | FRA | 23,38 | Q |
| 4 | Randy Givens | USA | 23,43 | Q |
| 5 | Lena Möller | SWE | 23,56 | |
| 6 | Yelena Vinogradova | URS | 23,60 | |
| 7 | Ruperta Charles | ANT | 24,09 | |
| Elanga Buala | PNG | DNS |
| 1 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | USA | 22,41 | Q |
| 2 | Kathy Smallwood-Cook | GBR | 22,57 | Q |
| 3 | Anelia Nuneva | BUL | 22,62 | Q |
| 4 | Grace Jackson | JAM | 22,76 | Q |
| 5 | Helinä Marjamaa | FIN | 22,86 | |
| 6 | Denise Robertson-Boyd | AUS | 23,26 | |
| 7 | Marisa Masullo | ITA | 23,36 | |
| 8 | Irina Olkhovnikova | URS | 23,38 |
| 1 | Marita Koch | GDR | 22,67 | Q |
| 2 | Merlene Ottey | JAM | 22,68 | Q |
| 3 | Angela Bailey | CAN | 22,82 | Q |
| 4 | Ewa Kasprzyk | POL | 23,02 | Q |
| 5 | Joan Baptiste | GBR | 23,24 | |
| 6 | Nadezhda Georgieva | BUL | 23,26 | |
| 7 | Randy Givens | USA | 23,34 | |
| 8 | Liliane Gaschet | FRA | 23,37 |