| | Event type

500 metres, Women

Date	23 February 1988
Status	Olympic (non-medal)
Location	Max Bell Arena, Calgary
Participants	32 from 11 countries

Italy’s Cristina Sciolla had set a world record earlier in the season, but was expected to see tough competition from the Canadese and Japanese ladies, especially the recent overall world champion Sylvie Daigle, and the winner of the 500 m at the Worlds, Yumiko Yamada. Daigle and her team mate Eden Donatelli qualified for the final, but were no match to Monique Velzeboer. Four years later, Velzeboer would just miss out on a medal in Albertville. While training for the 1994 Olympics, she had a horrible crash that made her a paraplegic. She has since become a notable photographer.

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	FP	SP	Best Time
1	Monique Velzeboer	NED	A	48.28	–
2	Eden Donatelli	CAN	A	48.34	–
3	Li Yan	CHN	A	48.84	–
4	Sylvie Daigle	CAN	A	49.64	–
5	Yumiko Yamada	JPN	B	49.57	–
6	Cristina Sciolla	ITA	B	49.75	–
7	Eiko Shishii	JPN	B	AC	–
8	Simone Velzeboer	NED	B	AC	–
9	Maria Rosa Candido	ITA	3	47	48.96
10	Hiromi Takeuchi	JPN	3	47	49.64
11	Barbara Mussio	ITA	3	34	49.34
12	Tara Laszlo	USA	3	34	50.46
13	Zhang Yanmei	CHN	4	29	49.11
14	Nobuko Yamada	JPN	4	29	49.20
15	Viktoriya Taranina	URS	4	29	49.69
16	Karen Gardiner	AUS	4	29	49.75
17	Li Jinyan	CHN	3	13	49.20
18	Amy Peterson	USA	3	13	49.28
19	Qiao Jing	CHN	3	13	49.45
20	Marina Pylayeva	URS	3	13	49.46
21	Nathalie Lambert	CAN	3	13	49.87
22	Bea Pintens	BEL	3	13	50.18
23	Valérie Barizza	FRA	3	13	50.80
24	Priscilla Ernst	NED	3	13	52.61
25	Yoo Boo-Won	KOR	4	8	49.49
26	Joëlle van Koetsveld-van Ankeren	NED	4	8	50.77
27	Becky Mane Sanfelippo	USA	4	8	51.72
28	Lee Yoon-Sook	KOR	4	8	51.91
29	Hong Ho-Kyung	KOR	4	8	52.31
30	Gabriella Monteduro	ITA	4	8	1:03.16
31	Maryse Perreault	CAN	4	8	1:06.47
32	Tricia Stennes	USA	4	8	1:10.06

Round One (23 February 1988 — 10:00)

Heat One

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Cristina Sciolla	ITA	49.17	Q
2	Nobuko Yamada	JPN	49.20	Q
3	Amy Peterson	USA	49.28
4	Joëlle van Koetsveld-van Ankeren	NED	50.77

Heat Two

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Sylvie Daigle	CAN	48.99	Q
2	Viktoriya Taranina	URS	49.69	Q
3	Bea Pintens	BEL	50.18
4	Gabriella Monteduro	ITA	1:03.16

Heat Three

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Yumiko Yamada	JPN	48.96	Q
2	Zhang Yanmei	CHN	49.11	Q
3	Marina Pylayeva	URS	49.46
4	Yoo Boo-Won	KOR	49.49

Heat Four

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Hiromi Takeuchi	JPN	49.64	Q
2	Tara Laszlo	USA	50.46	Q
3	Valérie Barizza	FRA	50.80
4	Hong Ho-Kyung	KOR	52.31

Heat Five

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Eden Donatelli	CAN	48.86	Q
2	Li Yan	CHN	48.95	Q
3	Priscilla Ernst	NED	52.61
4	Tricia Stennes	USA	1:10.06

Heat Six

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Maria Rosa Candido	ITA	48.96	Q
2	Monique Velzeboer	NED	49.19	Q
3	Li Jinyan	CHN	49.20
4	Becky Mane Sanfelippo	USA	51.72

Heat Seven

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Simone Velzeboer	NED	49.13	Q
2	Karen Gardiner	AUS	49.75	Q
3	Nathalie Lambert	CAN	49.87
4	Lee Yoon-Sook	KOR	51.91

Heat Eight

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Eiko Shishii	JPN	49.09	Q
2	Barbara Mussio	ITA	49.34	Q
3	Qiao Jing	CHN	49.45
4	Maryse Perreault	CAN	1:06.47

Quarter-Finals (23 February 1988)

Heat One

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Cristina Sciolla	ITA	49.94	Q
2	Eiko Shishii	JPN	50.07	Q
3	Tara Laszlo	USA	51.00
4	Karen Gardiner	AUS	51.21

Heat Two

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Sylvie Daigle	CAN	49.26	Q
2	Simone Velzeboer	NED	49.80	Q
3	Barbara Mussio	ITA	49.80
4	Zhang Yanmei	CHN	59.97

Heat Three

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Yumiko Yamada	JPN	50.19	Q
2	Monique Velzeboer	NED	50.25	Q
3	Maria Rosa Candido	ITA	50.31
4	Viktoriya Taranina	URS	50.76

Heat Four

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Eden Donatelli	CAN	50.30	Q
2	Li Yan	CHN	50.75	Q
3	Hiromi Takeuchi	JPN	51.30
4	Nobuko Yamada	JPN	1:04.93

Semi-Finals (23 February 1988)

Heat One

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Eden Donatelli	CAN	49.25	QA
2	Monique Velzeboer	NED	49.34	QA
3	Cristina Sciolla	ITA	50.99	QB
4	Eiko Shishii	JPN	1:32.05	QB

Heat Two

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Sylvie Daigle	CAN	48.99	QA
2	Li Yan	CHN	49.09	QA
3	Yumiko Yamada	JPN	49.20	QB
4	Simone Velzeboer	NED	59.04	QB

Final Round (23 February 1988 — 21:00)

A Final

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
2	Eden Donatelli	CAN	48.34
3	Li Yan	CHN	48.84
4	Sylvie Daigle	CAN	49.64

B Final

Pos	Competitor(s)	NOC	Time
1	Yumiko Yamada	JPN	49.57
2	Cristina Sciolla	ITA	49.75
DNF	Eiko Shishii	JPN	–
DNF	Simone Velzeboer	NED	–