Speed skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics – Women's 3000 metres
The women's 3000 metres in speed skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics took place on 12 February, at the Makomanai Open Stadium.Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows:
The following new Olympic record was set.
Results
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes |
| Stien Baas-Kaiser | | 4:52.14 | |
| Dianne Holum | | 4:58.67 | |
| Atje Keulen-Deelstra | | 4:59.91 | |
| 4 | Sippie Tigchelaar | | 5:01.67 | |
| 5 | Nina Statkevich | | 5:01.79 | |
| 6 | Kapitolina Seregina | | 5:01.88 | |
| 7 | Tuula Vilkas | | 5:05.92 | |
| 8 | Lyudmila Savrulina | | 5:06.61 | |
| 9 | Han Pil-Hwa | | 5:07.24 | |
| 10 | Sigrid Sundby-Dybedahl | | 5:07.76 | |
| 11 | Kim Bok-soon | | 5:07.93 | |
| 12 | Satomi Koike | | 5:09.21 | |
| 13 | Kim Ok-soon | | 5:09.69 | |
| 14 | Sylvia Filipsson | | 5:11.13 | |
| 15 | Rosemarie Taupadel | | 5:12.85 | |
| 16 | Kaname Ide | | 5:17.30 | |
| 17 | Leah Poulos | | 5:17.38 | |
| 18 | Akiko Aruga | | 5:22.60 | |
| 19 | Jeon Seon-Ok | | 5:24.27 | |
| 20 | Kirsti Biermann | | 5:26.21 | - |
| 21 | Arja Kantola | | 5:30.88 | |
| 22 | Jeanne Omelenchuk | | 5:32.87 | |
