Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 3000 metres
# Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's 3000 metres

The women's 3000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 35 competitors, with two qualifying heats (35) before the final (15) took place on Sunday September 25, 1988.

## Final

| RANK | FINAL | TIME |
| - | - | - |
| | Tetyana Samolenko (URS) | 8:26.53 |
| | Paula Ivan (ROU) | 8:27.15 |
| | Yvonne Murray (GBR) | 8:29.02 |
| 4. | Yelena Romanova (URS) | 8:30.45 |
| 5. | Natalya Artyomova (URS) | 8:31.67 |
| 6. | Vicki Huber (USA) | 8:37.25 |
| 7. | Wendy Sly (GBR) | 8:37.70 |
| 8. | Lynn Williams (CAN) | 8:38.43 |
| 9. | Elly van Hulst (NED) | 8:43.92 |
| 10. | Mary Slaney (USA) | 8:47.13 |
| 11. | Cornelia Bürki (SUI) | 8:48.32 |
| 12. | Annette Sergent (FRA) | 8:49.14 |
| 13. | PattiSue Plumer (USA) | 8:59.17 |
| 14. | Angela Chalmers (CAN) | 9:04.75 |
| 15. | Debbie Bowker (CAN) | 9:11.95 |

## Qualifying heats

| RANK | HEAT | QUALIFYING | TIME |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1. | 2 | Paula Ivan (ROU) | 8:43.10 |
| 2. | 2 | Yvonne Murray (GBR) | 8:43.73 |
| 3. | 2 | Debbie Bowker (CAN) | 8:43.81 |
| 4. | 2 | Mary Slaney (USA) | 8:44.15 |
| 5. | 2 | Tetyana Samolenko (URS) | 8:44.18 |
| 6. | 2 | Natalya Artyomova (URS) | 8:44.30 |
| 7. | 2 | PattiSue Plumer (USA) | 8:45.21 |
| 8. | 2 | Annette Sergent (FRA) | 8:45.94 |
| 9. | 2 | Cornelia Bürki (SUI) | 8:48.37 |
| 10. | 1 | Yelena Romanova (URS) | 8:48.47 |
| 11. | 1 | Elly van Hulst (NED) | 8:48.54 |
| 12. | 1 | Angela Chalmers (CAN) | 8:48.60 |
| 13. | 1 | Lynn Williams (CAN) | 8:48.70 |
| 14. | 1 | Vicki Huber (USA) | 8:48.93 |
| 15. | 1 | Wendy Sly (GBR) | 8:49.71 |
| 16. | 2 | Vera Michallek (FRG) | 8:51.34 |
| 17. | 2 | Chen Qingmei (CHN) | 8:51.53 |
| 18. | 2 | Roberta Brunet (ITA) | 8:53.04 |
| 19. | 1 | Xiuting Wang (CHN) | 8:54.19 |
| 20. | 1 | Jill Hunter (GBR) | 8:57.28 |
| 21. | 1 | Christine Pfitzinger (NZL) | 9:01.30 |
| 22. | 1 | Jacqueline Perkins (AUS) | 9:01.82 |
| 23. | 1 | Andri Avraam (CYP) | 9:02.18 |
| 24. | 2 | Anne Keenan-Buckley (IRL) | 9:03.10 |
| 25. | 1 | Angelines Rodríguez (ESP) | 9:03.39 |
| 26. | 1 | Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) | 9:05.92 |
| 27. | 1 | Susan Sirma (KEN) | 9:06.90 |
| 28. | 1 | Lim Chun-Ae (KOR) | 9:21.18 |
| 29. | 2 | Khin Khin Htwe (BIR) | 9:26.57 |
| 30. | 2 | Daphrose Nyiramutuzo (RWA) | 9:47.98 |
| 31. | 2 | Dikanda Diba (ZAI) | 10:32.88 |
| – | 1 | Maricica Puică (ROU) | DNF |
| – | 1 | Marie Pierre Duros (FRA) | DNF |
| – | 2 | Fatima Aouam (MAR) | DNF |
| – | 2 | Polonie Avek (PNG) | DNF |
