| Final | time | | | 1. Harald Schmid |  West Germany | 48.51s | Cr | | 2. Dmitriy Stukalov |  Soviet Union | 49.72s | | | 3. Vasiliy Arkhipenko | Soviet Union | 49.77s | | | 4. Franz Meier |  Switzerland | 49.84s | | | 5. Harry Schulting |  Netherlands | 50.07s | | | 6. Jean-Claude Nallet |  France | 50.10s | | | 7. José Alonso |  Spain | 50.19s | | | 8. Horia Toboc |  Romania | 50.46s | |
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| | | First 4 progress to Final. |
| Semi 1 | time | | | 1. Harald Schmid | West Germany | 50.07s | Q | | 2. José Alonso | Spain | 50.32s | Q | | 3. Horia Toboc | Romania | 50.42s | Q | | 4. Dmitriy Stukalov | Soviet Union | 50.51s | Q | | 5. Stavros Tziortzis |  Greece | 50.83s | | | 6. Peter Haas | Switzerland | 51.29s | | | 7. Axel Salander | West Germany | 51.63s | | | 8. Yanko Bratanov |  Bulgaria | 52.39s | |
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| Semi 2 | time | | | 1. Vasiliy Arkhipenko | Soviet Union | 49.92 | Q | | 2. Jean-Claude Nallet | France | 49.98 | Q | | 3. Franz Meier | Switzerland | 50.12 | Q | | 4. Harry Schulting | Netherlands | 50.22 | Q | | 5. Georgios Parris | Greece | 50.66 | | | 6. Rok Kopitar |  Yugoslavia | 50.98 | | | 7. Lars-Åke Welander |  Sweden | 50.99 | | | 8. Thomas Löwe | West Germany | 51.96 | |
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| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Dmitriy Stukalov | Soviet Union | 50.35s | Q | | 2. Harry Schulting | Netherlands | 50.39s | Q | | 3. Peter Haas | Switzerland | 50.45s | Q | | 4. José Carvalho |  Portugal | 51.02s | | | 5. Christer Gullstrand | Sweden | 51.03s | | | 6. Gary Oakes |  Great Britain | 52.08s | | | 7. Felix Rummele |  Austria | 52.13s | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Thomas Löwe | West Germany | 50.34s | Q | | 2. Yanko Bratanov | Bulgaria | 50.45s | Q | | 3. Horia Toboc | Romania | 50.75s | Q | | 4. Oleg Bulatkin | Soviet Union | 50.90s | | | 5. Claude Anicet | France | 51.68s | | | 6. Miroslav Kodejš |  Czechoslovakia | 51.98s | | | 7. Bill Hartley | Great Britain | 52.15s | |
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| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Harald Schmid | West Germany | 49.78s | Q | | 2. Rok Kopitar | Yugoslavia | 50.43s | Q | | 3. Georgios Parris | Greece | 50.45s | Q | | 4. Jean-Claude Nallet | France | 50.49s | q | | 5. Alan Pascoe | Great Britain | 50.95s | | | 6. Ladislav Kárský | Czechoslovakia | 51.38s | | | 7. Lars Nilsen |  Denmark | 51.48s | |
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| Heat 4 | time | | | 1. Vasiliy Arkhipenko | Soviet Union | 50.15s | Q | | 2. José Alonso | Spain | 50.27s | Q | | 3. Stavros Tziortzis | Greece | 50.49s | Q | | 4. Axel Salander | West Germany | 50.55s | q | | 5. Franz Meier | Switzerland | 50.66s | q | | 6. Lars-Åke Welander | Sweden | 50.72s | q |
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