Speed skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics – Women's 500 metres

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:[3][4]

World record	Christa Rothenburger (GDR)	39.39	Calgary, Canada	6 December 1987
Olympic record	Christa Rothenburger (GDR)	41.02	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia	10 February 1984

The following new world and olympic records was set during the competition.

Date	Pair	Athlete	Country	Time	OR	WR
22 February	Pair 1	Andrea Ehrig	East Germany	40.71	OR
22 February	Pair 2	Karin Enke	East Germany	39.12	OR	WR
22 February	Pair 4	Bonnie Blair	United States	39.10	OR	WR

[1]

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time	Difference	Notes
	Bonnie Blair	United States	39.10	–	WR
	Christa Rothenburger	East Germany	39.12	+0.02
	Karin Kania	East Germany	39.24	+0.14
4	Angela Stahnke	East Germany	39.68	+0.58
5	Seiko Hashimoto	Japan	39.74	+0.64
6	Shelley Rhead-Skarvan	Canada	40.36	+1.26
7	Monika Pflug	West Germany	40.53	+1.43
8	Shoko Fusano	Japan	40.61	+1.51
9	Natalya Glebova	Soviet Union	40.66	+1.56
10	Andrea Ehrig	East Germany	40.71	+1.61
11	Natalie Grenier	Canada	40.73	+1.63
12	Katie Class	United States	40.91	+1.81
13	Yoo Seon-Hee	South Korea	40.92	+1.82
14	Edel Therese Høiseth	Norway	40.95	+1.85
15	Ingrid Haringa	Netherlands	41.12	+2.02
16	Yelena Ilyina	Soviet Union	41.15	+2.05
17	Christine Aaftink	Netherlands	41.22	+2.12
18	Zofia Tokarczyk	Poland	41.37	+2.27
19	Emese Hunyady	Austria	41.38	+2.28
19	Erwina Ryś-Ferens	Poland	41.38	+2.28
21	Noriko Toda	Japan	41.44	+2.34
22	Song Hwa-son	North Korea	41.46	+2.36
23	Leslie Bader	United States	41.57	+2.47
23	Ariane Loignon	Canada	41.57	+2.47
25	Kristen Talbot	United States	41.71	+2.61
26	Han Chun-Ok	North Korea	42.25	+3.15
27	Marie-France van Helden	France	42.49	+3.39
28	Jasmin Krohn	Sweden	42.81	+3.71
29	Stéphanie Dumont	France	43.30	+4.20
30	Bibija Kerla	Yugoslavia	44.47	+5.37