| Final | time | age | | 1. Valeriy Borzov |  URS | 20.00s | 22 | | 2. Larry Black |  USA | 20.19s | 21 | | 3. Pietro Mennea |  ITA | 20.30s | 20 | | 4. Lawrence Burton | USA | 20.37s | 20 | | 5. Chuck Smith | USA | 20.55s | 23 | | 6. Siegfried Schenke |  GDR | 20.56s | 29 | | 7. Martin Jellinghaus |  FRG | 20.65s | 27 | | 8. Hans-Joachim Zenk | GDR | 21.05s | 20 |
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| Semi 1 | time | | 1. Valeri Borzov | URS | 20.74s | | 2. Lawrence Burton | USA | 20.78s | | 3. Chuck Smith | USA | 20.86s | | 4. Siegfried Schenke | GDR | 20.97s | | 5. Jaroslav Matousek |  TCH | 20.99s | | 6. Manfred Ommer | FRG | 21.08s | | 7. Lucien Sainte-Rose |  FRA | 21.42s | | 8. Donald Quarrie |  JAM | DNF |
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| Semi 2 | time | | 1. Larry Black | USA | 20.36s | | 2. Pietro Mennea | ITA | 20.52s | | 3. Hans-Joachim Zenk | GDR | 20.63s | | 4. Martin Jellinghaus | FRG | 20.75s | | 5. Jiri Kynos | TCH | 20.88s | | 6. Ainsely Armstrong |  TRI | 21.13s | | 7. Bruno Cherrier | FRA | 21.15s | | 8. Richard Hardware | JAM | 21.24s |
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| Quarter 1 | time | | 1. Valeri Borzov | URS | 20.30s | | 2. Manfred Ommer | FRG | 20.53s | | 3. Jifi Kynos | TCH | 20.68s | | 4. Rene Metz | FRA | 20.83s | | 5. Jimmy Sierra |  COL | 20.87s | | 6. Omar Chokhmane |  MAR | 21.00s | | 7. Guillermo Gonzalez |  PUR | 21.10s | | -.Mike Sands |  BAH | DNS |
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| Quarter 2 | time | | 1. Jaroslav Matousek | TCH | 20.65s | | 2. Chuck Smith | USA | 20.66s | | 3. Ainsely Armstrong | TRI | 21.00s | | 4. Bevan Smith |  NZL | 21.04s | | 5. George Kofi Daniels |  GHA | 21.10s | | 6. Andres Roberto Calonge |  ARG | 21.11s | | 7. Markku Juhola |  FIN | 21.19s | | 8. Sunil Gunawaredene |  CEY | 21.31s |
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| Quarter 3 | time | | 1. Lawrence Burton | USA | 20.68s | | 2. Martin Jellinghaus | FRG | 20.70s | | 3. Siegfried Schenke | GDR | 20.79s | | 4. Philippe Clerc |  SUI | 20.82s | | 5. Edwin Roberts | TRI | 20.99s | | 6. Pasqualino Abeti | ITA | 21.00s | | 7. Ladislav Kriz | TCH | 21.46s | | -. James Aryee Addy | GHA | DNS |
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| Quarter 4 | time | | 1. Larry Black | USA | 20.28s | | 2. Donald Quarrie | JAM | 20.43s | | 3. Bru no Cherrier | FRA | 20.62s | | 4. Vladimir Lovetski | URS | 20.83s | | 5. Motsapi Moorosi |  LES | 20.90s | | 6. Wen-Ho Soo |  ROC | 21.47s | | 7. Audun Garshol |  NOR | 25.30s | | -.Dan Amuke |  KEN | DNS |
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| Quarter 5 | time | | 1. Pietro Mennea | ITA | 20.47s | | 2. Hans-Joachim Zenk | GDR | 20.59s | | 3. Richard Hardware | JAM | 20.76s | | 4. Lucien Sainte-Rose | FRA | 20.76s | | 5. Francisco Garcia |  ESP | 20.77s | | 6. Trevor James | TRI | 21.34s | | 7. Brian Green |  GBR | 21.41s | | -. Samuel Monsels |  SUR | DNF |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Siegfried Schenke | GDR | 20.66s | | 2. Bruno Cherrier | FRA | 20.79s | | 3. Jifi Kynos | TCH | 20.95s | | 4. Audun Garshol | NOR | 21.16s | | 5. Pasqualino Abati | ITA | 21.17s | | 6. Solomon Belay |  ETH | 21.73s | | -. Zenon Nowosz |  POL | DNS |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Donald Quarrie | JAM | 21.04s | | 2. Martin Jellinghaus | FRG | 21.10s | | 3. Andres Roberto Calonge | ARG | 21.39s | | 4. Ladislav Kriz | TCH | 21.58s | | 5. Mike Sands | BAH | 21.61s | | 6. Kian Chye Yeo |  SIN | 21.89s | | -. Amadou Meite |  CIV | DNS | | -. Rodolfo Rieder |  PAR | DNS |
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| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Valeri Borzov | URS | 20.64s | | 2. Edwin Roberts | TRI | 20.95s | | 3. Richard Hardware | JAM | 21.09s | | 4. Motsapi Moorosi | LES | 21.15s | | 5. Wen-Ho Soo | ROC | 21.55s | | 6. Jean-Pierre Bassegela |  CGO | 21.72s | | 7. Hamad Ndee |  TAN | 21.74s |
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| Heat 4 | time | | 1. Pietro Mennea | ITA | 20.53s | | 2. Markku Juhola | FIN | 20.98s | | 3. Ainsely Armstrong | TRI | 21.12s | | 4. Guillermo Gonzalez | PUR | 21.22s | | 5. Samuel Monsels | SUR | 21.26s | | 6. Gaston Malam |  CMR | 21.71s | | 7. Gary Georges |  HAI | 22.97s |
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| Heat 5 | time | | 1. Larry Black | USA | 20.79s | | 2. Rene Metz | FRA | 21.08s | | 3. Brian Green | GBR | 21.26s | | 4. Omar Chokhmane | MAR | 21.29s | | 5. Luiz Gonzaga da Silva |  BRA | 21.81s | | 6. Eston Kaonga |  MAW | 22.18s | | -. Benedict Majekodumni |  NGR | DNS |
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| Heat 6 | time | | 1. Chuck Smith | USA | 20.79s | | 2. Vladimir Lovetski | URS | 20.99s | | 3. Sunil Gunawardene | CEY | 21.60s | | 4. Trevor James | TRI | 21.83s | | 5. Zainuddin Wahab |  MAL | 21.87s | | 6. Dominic Saidu |  LBR | 22.48s | | 7. Saad Khalil Aldosary |  ARS | 22.56s | | -. Jeanl. Ravelomanantsoa |  MAD | DNS |
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| Heat 7 | time | | 1. Jaroslav Matousek | TCH | 20.70s | | 2. Francisco Garcia | ESP | 20.89s | | 3. George Kofi Daniels | GHA | 21.05s | | 4. Jimmy Sierra | COL | 21.10s | | 5. Kevin Edwin Johnson | BAH | 21.70s | | 6. Ibrahim Saad Abdelgalil |  SUD | 22.41s | | -. Mao Samphon |  KHM | DNS | | -. Abdulazeez Abdulkareem |  KUW | DNS |
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| Heat 8 | time | | 1. Manfred Ommer | FRG | 20.80s | | 2. Hans-Joachim Zenk | GDR | 20.93s | | 3. James Aryee Addy | GHA | 21.06s | | 4. Dan Amuke | KEN | 21.53s | | 5. Iqbal Nusrat |  PAK | 22.07s | | 6. Salem Alah-Djaba |  CHA | DNF | | -. Charle Francis |  CAN | DNS |
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| Heat 9 | time | | 1. Lawrence Burton | USA | 20.80s | | 2. Lucien Sainte-Rose | FRA | 21.09s | | 3. Bevan Smith | NZL | 21.17s | | 4. Philippe Clerc | SUI | 21.32s | | 5. Tukal Mokalam |  PHI | 21.81s | | 6. William Dralu |  UGA | 21.87s | | -. Larmeck Mukonde |  ZAM | DNS |
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