| Final 16:20 | time |  | 1. Horace Ashenfelter |  USA | 8:45.4 |  | 2. Vladimir Kazantsev |  URS | 8:51.6 |  | 3. John Disley |  GBR | 8:51.8 |  | 4. Olavi Rinteenpaa |  FIN | 8:55.2 |  | 5. Curt Soderberg |  SWE | 8:55.6 |  | 6. Gunther Hesselmann |  GER | 8:55.8 |  | 7. Mikhail Saltykov |  URS | 8:56.2 |  | 8. Helmut Gude |  GER | 9:01.4 |  | 9. Jozsef Apró |  HUN | 9:04.2 |  | 10.Cahit Önel |  TUR | 9:04.4 |  | 11.Christopher Brasher |  GBR | 9:14.0 |  | 12.Karl Tjornebo-Karlsson |  SWE | 10:26.4 |   
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 |  | Venue: Helsingin Olympiastadion. Capp.: 70,000. |  | -- competitors from -- nations. |  | Heats |   
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 |   | Wednesday 23.07 16:35 |  | First 4 from each Heat advanced to Final, |   
| Heat 1 | time |  | 1. Vladimir Kazantsev |  URS | 8:58.0 |  | 2. Gunther Hesselmann |  GER | 9:05.0 |  | 3. Karl Tjornebo-Karlsson |  SWE | 9:05.4 |  | 4. Cahit Önel |  TUR | 9:06.0 |  | 5. Jindrich Roudn½ |  TCH | 9:06.4 |  | 6. Kauko Lusenius |  FIN | 9:26.8 |  | 7. Kenneth Johnson |  GBR | 9:27.0 |  | 8. Dragutin Stritof |  JUG | 9:28.0 |  | 9. Victor Firea |  ROM | 9:29.2 |  | 10.Guillermo Sol¡ |  CHI | 9:32.2 |  | 1.Pierre Prat |  FRA | 9:32.8 |  | 12.Gulzara Mann |  IND | 9:48.6 |  | -. William Ashenfelter |  USA | DNF |   
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| Heat 2 | time |  | 1. John Disley |  GBR | 8:59.4 |  | 2. Olavi Rinteenpää |  FIN | 8:59.4 |  | 3. Jozsef Apró |  HUN | 9:00.4 |  | 4. Helmut Gude |  GER | 9:04.2 |  | 5. Fyodor Marulin |  URS | 9:08.4 |  | 6. Ali Baghbanbachi |  IRN | 9:13.2 |  | 7. Jan Kielas |  POL | 9:15.4 |  | 8. Alain Lebrun |  FRA | 9:17.8 |  | 9. Susumu Takahashi |  JPN | 9:21.6 |  | 10.Bozidar Djuraskovic |  JUG | 9:23.2 |  | 11.Eric Nilsson |  SWE | 9:25.0 |  | 12.Broening Ross |  USA | 9:44.0 |   
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