| Final | | time | | gap | L | | 1. Klaus Katzur |  East Germany | 2:26.0 | NR, ECR | | 5 | | 2. Nyikolaj Pankin |  Soviet Union | 2:26.1 | | 0.1s | 7 | | 3. Walter Kusch |  West Germany | 2:28.2 | NR | 2.2s | 4 | | 4. Egon Henninger | East Germany | 2:29.2 | | 3.2s | 3 | | 5. Vlagyimir Kosinszkij | Soviet Union | 2:29.4 | | 3.4s | 1 | | 6. Roger Menu |  France | 2:30.8 | | 4.8s | 8 | | 7. Thomas Aretz | West Germany | 2:31.4 | | 5.4s | 2 | | 8. Steffen Kriechbaum |  Austria | 2:31.8 | | 5.8s | 6 |
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| World Record: | | European Record: |
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Heats - , --th September | | Best 8 times advanced to Final>. |
| Heat 4 | | time | | | 1. Walter Kusch | West Germany | 2:28.6 | Q, NR, ECR | | 2. Klaus Katzur | East Germany | 2:29.6 | Q | | 11.Angel Csakarov |  Bulgaria | 2:35.4 | NR | | 13.Pavol Pejsa |  Czechoslovakia | 2:36.2 | | | 14.Ernst May | Austria | 2:36.4 | | | 17.Hargitay András |  Hungary | 2:38.6 | |
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| Heat 3 | | time | | | 6. Nyikolaj Pankin | Soviet Union | 2:30.4 | Q | | 7. Vlagyimir Kosinszkij | Soviet Union | 2:30.8 | Q | | 8. Roger Menu | France | 2:31.6 | Q | | 12.Manuel Garriga |  Spain | 2:35.7 | | | 19.Leiknir Jonsson |  Iceland | 2:39.4 | | | 20.David Wilkie |  Great Britain | 2:40.0 | | | 21.Jean Pierre Dubey | France | 2:41.1 | |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 3. Egon Henninger | East Germany | 2:29.7 | Q, ECR | | 3. Steffen Kriechbaum | Austria | 2:29.7 | Q, NR | | 10.Ladislau Koszta |  Románia | 2:34.5 | | | 18.Terry Koutoumanisz |  Greece | 2:39.3 | |
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| Heat 1 | | time | | | 5. Thomas Aretz | West Germany | 2:30.3 | Q | | 9. Pedro Balcells | Spain | 2:33.5 | | | 15.Cezary ÅÅ¡miglak |  Poland | 2:37.2 | | | 16.Slavko Kurbanović |  Yugoslavia | 2:38.0 | | | 22.Szentirmay István | Hungary | 2:43.5 | |
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