Rowing at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's single sculls
The women's single sculls competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place at took place at Han River Regatta Course, South Korea.
Competition format
The competition consisted of three main rounds as well as a repechage. The 13 boats were divided into three heats for the first round, with 4 or 5 boats in each heat. The top three boats in each heat advanced directly to the semifinals. The remaining 4 boats were placed in the repechage. The repechage featured a single heat. The top three boats in each repechage heat advanced to the semifinals, with only the last-place boat eliminated. The 12 semifinalist boats were divided into two heats of 6 boats each. The top three boats in each semifinal advanced to the "A" final to compete for medals and 4th through 6th place; the bottom three boats in each semifinal were sent to the "B" final for 7th through 12th.All races were over a 2000 metre course, unlike previous Games in which women used a 1000 metre course.
Results
Heats
Heat 1
| Rank | Rower | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Anne Marden | 8:01.55 | ||
| 2 | Inger Pors Olsen | 8:09.55 | ||
| 3 | Heather Hattin | 8:15.04 | ||
| 4 | Michaela Burešová-Loukotová | 8:17.80 | ||
| 5 | Annelie Larsson | 8:29.70 |
Heat 2
| Rank | Rower | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Jutta Behrendt | 7:51.44 | ||
| 2 | Marioara Popescu-Ciobanu | 7:53.75 | ||
| 3 | Harriet van Ettekoven | 7:56.80 | ||
| 4 | Nataliya Kvasha | 7:59.95 |
Heat 3
| Rank | Rower | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Magdalena Georgieva | 7:50.64 | ||
| 2 | Rita Defauw | 8:09.25 | ||
| 3 | Tonia Svaier | 8:12.13 | ||
| 4 | Lydie Dubedat-Briero | 8:28.75 |
Repechage
| Rank | Rower | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Nataliya Kvasha | 8:06.11 | ||
| 2 | Michaela Burešová-Loukotová | 8:15.63 | ||
| 3 | Annelie Larsson | 8:20.20 | ||
| 4 | Lydie Dubedat-Briero | 8:26.86 |
Semifinals
Semifinal 1
| Rank | Rower | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Jutta Behrendt | 7:37.69 | ||
| 2 | Anne Marden | 7:40.51 | ||
| 3 | Harriet van Ettekoven | 7:48.84 | ||
| 4 | Heather Hattin | 7:56.97 | ||
| 5 | Rita Defauw | 8:07.95 | ||
| 6 | Annelie Larsson | 8:11.21 |
Semifinal 2
| Rank | Rower | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Magdalena Georgieva | 7:35.47 | ||
| 2 | Marioara Popescu-Ciobanu | 7:39.93 | ||
| 3 | Inger Pors Olsen | 7:42.76 | ||
| 4 | Nataliya Kvasha | 7:45.50 | ||
| 5 | Tonia Svaier | 7:49.15 | ||
| 6 | Michaela Burešová-Loukotová | 8:08.04 |
Finals
Final B
| Rank | Rower | Nation | Time |
| 7 | Tonia Svaier | 7:57.73 | |
| 8 | Nataliya Kvasha | 8:00.73 | |
| 9 | Rita Defauw | 8:04.90 | |
| 10 | Heather Hattin | 8:08.69 | |
| 11 | Annelie Larsson | 8:11.69 | |
| 12 | Michaela Burešová-Loukotová | 8:14.02 |
Final A
| Rank | Rower | Nation | Time |
| Jutta Behrendt | 7:47.19 | ||
| Anne Marden | 7:50.28 | ||
| Magdalena Georgieva | 7:53.65 | ||
| 4 | Harriet van Ettekoven | 7:57.29 | |
| 5 | Marioara Popescu-Ciobanu | 7:59.44 | |
| 6 | Inger Pors Olsen | 7:59.77 |
Final classification
| Rank | Rower | Country |
| Jutta Behrendt | ||
| Anne Marden | ||
| Magdalena Georgieva | ||
| 4 | Harriet van Ettekoven | |
| 5 | Marioara Popescu-Ciobanu | |
| 6 | Inger Pors Olsen | |
| 7 | Tonia Svaier | |
| 8 | Nataliya Kvasha | |
| 9 | Rita Defauw | |
| 10 | Heather Hattin | |
| 11 | Annelie Larsson | |
| 12 | Michaela Burešová-Loukotová | |
| 13 | Lydie Dubedat-Briero |