The final was won by Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen.

It was the first time this event was included in the Summer Olympics.

[1] Prior to the competition, the existing World record was as follows.

The top three runners from each heat advanced to the final.

Heat 1 Heat 2 Key: Est = Time is an estimate, OR = Olympic record Despite Strickland's 4th placing in the final, a photo finish of the race (that was not consulted then but discovered in 1975) showed that she had beaten Patterson into 3rd place, a discrepancy that has been recognised by many reputable Olympic historians.