The women's K-1 500 metres event was an individual kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1968 Summer Olympics program.
In the official report, heats were shown timed in tenths of a second (0.1) while the semifinal and final events were timed in hundredths of a second (0.01).
The top three finishers from each of the heats advanced directly to the final while the rest competed in the semifinal two days later.
The top three finishers in the semifinal (raced on October 24) advanced to the final.
Pfeffer capsized in the water midway through the final and had to be rescued by watercraft following the canoers.