1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 100 metres

These are the official results of the Women's 100 metres event at the 1983 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. There were a total number of 49 participating athletes, with seven qualifying heats and the final held on Monday 1983-08-08.

Events at the 1983 World Championships
Track events
100 m	men	women
200 m	men	women
400 m	men	women
800 m	men	women
1500 m	men	women
3000 m		women
5000 m	men
10,000 m	men
100 m hurdles		women
110 m hurdles	men
400 m hurdles	men	women
3000 m steeplechase	men
4 × 100 m relay	men	women
4 × 400 m relay	men	women
Road events
Marathon	men	women
20 km walk	men
50 km walk	men
Field events
High jump	men	women
Pole vault	men
Long jump	men	women
Triple jump	men
Shot put	men	women
Discus throw	men	women
Hammer throw	men
Javelin throw	men	women
Combined events
Heptathlon		women
Decathlon	men

Evelyn Ashford set the World record just over a month before this meet (at altitude). In the semi-finals, she dusted one of the East German favorites Marita Koch eased up by almost a tenth of a second out in lane 8. As the number 1 qualifier, she still was placed in lane 2, with number 2 qualifier, winner of the other semi-final Marlies Oelsner-Göhr across the track in lane 8. Koch was given lane 4 again.

At the start, Koch and Ashford were out fast, about even 40 metres into the race. Suddenly Ashford jumped, leaning back and hopping to stay off her leg as her hamstring exploded before collapsing to the track. Göhr gained steadily on her teammate Koch, passing her with more closing speed 20 meters out. Sensing a further challenge from Diane Williams next to her, Koch leaned at the finish to hold on to second.