23 runners competed in four heats in the first round, with the top three runners from each heat qualifying for the semifinals. There were two semifinals, and only the top three from each heat advanced to the final.
The event was won by England's Dorothy Hyman ahead of Doreen Porter from New Zealand and Australian Brenda Cox who won bronze. Hyman won the final in a slow time of 11.2 seconds running into a headwind of 5.8 m/s. It was the first time since 1934 that this event was not won by an Australian.[1]