| Venue: Montreal Olympic Pool. 27 competitors from 14 nations. |   
| Final | Points | Qualif. | age |  | 1. Jennifer Chandler |  USA | 506.19 | 463.32 | 1. | 17 |  | 2. Christa Köhler |  GDR | 469.41 | 441.90 | 6. | 24 |  | 3. Cynthia Potter |  USA | 466.83 | 455.16 | 3. | 25 |  | 4. Heidi Ramlow-Becker |  GDR | 462.15 | 445.08 | 5. | 21 |  | 5. Karin Guthke |  GDR | 459.81 | 441.03 | 7. | 19 |  | 6. Olga Dmitriyeva |  URS | 432.24 | 447.33 | 4. | 16 |  | 7. Irina Kalinina |  URS | 417.99 | 434.28 | 8. | 17 |  | 8. Barbara Nejman |  USA | 365.07 | 455.49 | 2. | 25 |   
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| Divers performed another set of 10 dives and the score here obtained determined the final ranking. |   
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 |   |  | Divers performed 8 dives. First 8 advanced to Final. |   
| Ranking | Points |  | 1. Jennifer Chandler |  USA | 463.32 |  | 2. Barbara Nejman |  USA | 455.49 |  | 3. Cynthia Potter |  USA | 455.16 |  | 4. Olga Dmitriyeva |  URS | 447.33 |  | 5. Heidi Ramlow-Becker |  GDR | 445.08 |  | 6. Christa Köhler |  GDR | 441.90 |  | 7. Karin Guthke |  GDR | 441.03 |  | 8. Irina Kalinina |  URS | 434.28 |  |  eliminated |  | 9. Beverly Boys |  CAN | 420.57 |  | 10.Ursula Sapp |  FRG | 417.63 |  | 11.Ulrika Knape-Lindbergh |  SWE | 416.94 |  | 12.Agneta Henriksson |  SWE | 404.19 |  | 13.Helen Koppell |  GBR | 396.96 |  | 14.Teri York |  CAN | 393.36 |  | 15.Madeline Barnett |  AUS | 391.77 |  | 16.Tatyana Podmaryeva |  URS | 387.39 |  | 17.Eniko Kiefer |  CAN | 383.13 |  | 18.Rikiko Yamanaka |  JPN | 381.96 |  | 19.Renate Piotraschke |  FRG | 377.49 |  | 20.Susanne Wetteskog |  SWE | 369.15 |  | 21.Rebecca Ewert |  NZL | 352.62 |  | 22.Elizabeth Jack |  AUS | 348.54 |  | 23.Norma Baraldi |  MEX | 336.12 |  | 24.Fusako Kakumaru |  JPN | 330.54 |  | 25.Carmen-Belen Nuñez |  ESP | 318.66 |  | 26.Aura Dinisio |  VEN | 293.04 |  | 27.Peri Suzan Özkum |  TUR | 274.44 |   
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|  Olympic Champions Women 3m Springboard |  | 2016: | Shi Tingmao |  CHN |  | 2012: | Wu Minxia |  CHN |  | 2008: | Guo Jingjing |  CHN |  | 2004: | Guo Jingjing |  CHN |  | 2000: | Fu Mingxia |  CHN |  | 1996: | Fu Mingxia |  CHN |  | 1992: | Gao Min |  CHN |  | 1988: | Gao Min |  CHN |  | 1984: | Sylvie Bernier |  CAN |  | 1980: | Irina Kalinina |  URS |  | 1976: | Jennifer Chandler |  USA |  | 1972: | Micki King |  USA |  | 1968: | Susanne Gossick |  USA |  | 1964: | Ingrid Krämer |  EUA |  | 1960: | Ingrid Krämer |  EUA |  | 1956: | Pat McCormick |  USA |  | 1952: | Pat McCormick |  USA |  | 1948: | Vicki Draves |  USA |  | 1936: | Marjorie Gestring |  USA |  | 1932: | Georgia Coleman |  USA |  | 1928: | Helen Meany |  USA |  | 1924: | Elizabeth Becker |  USA |  | 1920: | Aileen Riggin |  USA |   
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