Athletics at the 1988 Summer Games: Previous Summer Games ▪ Next Summer Games
Host City: Seoul, South Korea
Location: Olympic Stadium
Date Started: September 29, 1988
Date Finished: September 29, 1988
Format: Top four in each heat advanced to the final.
| Gold: | Florence Griffith Joyner |
| Silver: | Grace Jackson-Small |
| Bronze: | Heike Drechsler |
| Rank | Athlete | Age | Team | NOC | T(A) | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florence Griffith Joyner | 28 | United States | USA | 21.56 | 5 | QU/WR |
| 2 | Merlene Ottey | 28 | Jamaica | JAM | 22.07 | 3 | QU |
| 3 | Silke Möller | 24 | East Germany | GDR | 22.15 | 7 | QU |
| 4 | Maia Azarashvili | 24 | Soviet Union | URS | 22.33 | 6 | QU |
| 5 | Mary Onyali-Omagbemi | 20 | Nigeria | NGR | 22.43 | 2 | |
| 6 | Katrin Krabbe | 18 | East Germany | GDR | 22.59 | 4 | |
| 7 | Pauline Davis-Thompson | 22 | Bahamas | BAH | 22.67 | 8 | |
| 8 | Andrea Thomas | 25 | West Germany | FRG | 22.91 | 1 |
| Rank | Athlete | Age | Team | NOC | T(A) | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grace Jackson-Small | 27 | Jamaica | JAM | 22.13 | 4 | QU |
| 2 | Heike Drechsler | 23 | East Germany | GDR | 22.27 | 5 | QU |
| 3 | Gwen Torrence | 23 | United States | USA | 22.53 | 6 | QU |
| 4 | Galina Malchugina | 25 | Soviet Union | URS | 22.55 | 7 | QU |
| 5 | Nadezhda Georgieva | 27 | Bulgaria | BUL | 22.67 | 3 | |
| 6 | Paula Dunn | 23 | Great Britain | GBR | 23.14 | 1 | |
| 7 | Agnieszka Siwek | 26 | Poland | POL | 23.20 | 8 | |
| 8 | Regula Aebi | 22 | Switzerland | SUI | 23.33 | 2 |