| Final | time | | | 1. Marcus O'Sullivan |  IRL | 3:36.64 | | | 2. Hauke Fuhlbrügge |  GDR | 3:37.80 | | | 3. Jeff Atkinson |  USA | 3:38.12 | | | 4. Sydney Maree | USA | 3:38.14 | | | 5. Herve Phelippeau |  FRA | 3:38.76 | | | 6. Radin Kuncicky |  TCH | 3:39.97 | | | 7. Sergey Afanasyev |  URS | 3:40.46 | | | 8. Manuel Pancorbo |  ESP | 3:41.61 | | | 9. Eckhardt Rüther |  FRG | 3:43.42 | | | 10.Feranswa Woldemarian |  ETH | 3:44.16 | |
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| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Marcus O'Sullivan | IRL | 3:47.34 | Q | | 2. Jeff Atkinson | USA | 3:47.62 | Q | | 3. Rui Silva |  POR | 3:47.92 | | | 4. Abdelaziz Sahere |  MAR | 3:48.14 | | | 5. Vladimir Kolpakov | URS | 3:48.33 | | | 6. Mbiganyi Thee |  BOT | 3:48.85 | | | 7. Doug Consiglio |  CAN | 3:50.50 | | | 8. Nikolaos Tsiakoulas |  GRE | 3:52.05 | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Sergey Afanasyev | URS | 3:42.83 | Q | | 2. Manuel Pancorbo | ESP | 3:42.84 | Q | | 3. Radin Kuncicky | TCH | 3:43.19 | q | | 4. Agberto Conceiço Guimares |  BRA | 3:44.86 | | | 5. Laszlo Toth |  HUN | 3:44.99 | | | 6. Hamid Sadjadi |  IRI | 3:48.32 | |
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| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Hauke Fuhlbrügge | GDR | 3:42.26 | Q | | 2. Eckhardt Rüther | FRG | 3:42.65 | Q | | 3. Herve Phelippeau | FRA | 3:42.79 | q | | 4. Sydney Maree | USA | 3:42.84 | q | | 5. Feranswa Woldemarian | ETH | 3:43.35 | q | | 6. Adelino Hidalgo | ESP | 3:43.95 | | | 7. Robert Banai | HUN | 3:43.99 | | | 8. Dave Reid | CAN | 3:45.87 | |
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