| Final |   | time |   |  | 1. Ivo Van Damme |   Belgium | 1:49.2 |   |  | 2. Josef Schmid |   West Germany | 1:49.8 |   |  | 3. Milovan Savić |   Yugoslavia | 1:49.9 |   |  | 4. András Zsinka |   Hungary | 1:50.4 |   |  | 5. Robert Hoofd |   Belgium | 1:50.7 |   |  | 6. Francis Gonzalez |   France | 1:50.9 |   |   
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  Heats - Saturday, 21st February |  | First 3 from each Heat advanced to Final.  |   
| Heat 1 |   | time |   |  | 1. Francis Gonzalez |   France | 1:49.8 | Q |  | 2. Ivo Van Damme |   Belgium | 1:49.8 | Q |  | 3. Milovan Savić |   Yugoslavia | 1:50.0 | Q |  | 4. Ladislav Kárský |   Czechoslovakia | 1:50.1 |   |  | -. Phil Lewis |   Great Britain | DNF |   |   
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| Heat 2 |   | time |   |  | 5. András Zsinka |   Hungary | 1:50.1 | Q |  | 6. Josef Schmid |   West Germany | 1:50.9 | Q |  | 7. Robert Hoofd |   Belgium | 1:50.9 | Q |  | 8. Carlo Grippo |   Italy | 1:51.7 |   |  | 9. Konstantinos Gargarettas |   Greece | 1:52.0 |   |   
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