| Final 18:45 | time | | | 1. Mike Rawson |  GBR | 1:47.8 | | | 2. Audun Boysen |  NOR | 1:47.9 | | | 3. Paul Schmidt |  FRG | 1:47.9 | | | 4. Zbigniew Makomaski |  POL | 1:48.0 | | | 5. Lajos Szentgáli |  HUN | 1:48.3 | | | 6. Herbert Missalla | FRG | 1:48.5 | | | 7. Derek Johnson | GBR | 1:49.2 | | | 8. Christian Wägli |  SUI | 1:52.0 | |
|
| History Men 800m | | Championship Record: Szentagali (HUN) 1:47.1 - 1954 |  |
|
|
| | | First 4 progress to Final |
| Semi 1 | time | | | 1. Derek Johnson | GBR | 1:48.8 | Q | | 2. Christian Wägli | SUI | 1:49.0 | Q | | 3. Zbigniew Makomaski | POL | 1:49.1 | Q | | 4. Herbert Missalla | FRG | 1:49.2 | Q | | 5. Lajos Kovács | HUN | 1:49.2 | | | 6. Olavi Salonen |  FIN | 1:51.8 | | | 7. Svavar Markússon |  ISL | 1:54.6 | | | 8. Hendrik Haus |  NED | 1:59.0 | | | -. O. Salonen | FIN | DQ 1:51.8 | |
|
|
| Semi 2 | time | | | 1. Paul Schmidt | FRG | 1:49.5 | Q | | 2. Lajos Szentgáli | HUN | 1:49.8 | Q | | 3. Audun Boysen | NOR | 1:49.9 | Q | | 4. Mike Rawson | GBR | 1:50.1 | Q | | 5. Evangelos Depastas |  GRE | 1:50.3 | | | 6. Gianfranco Baraldi |  ITA | 1:51.2 | | | 7. Rolf Gottfridsson |  SWE | 1:52.1 | | | -. Tadeusz Kaźmierski | POL | DQ 1:51.7 | | | -. T. Kazmierski | POL | DQ 1:51.7 |
|
| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Derek Johnson | GBR | 1:49.5 | Q | | 2. Lajos Szentgáli | HUN | 1:50.0 | Q | | 3. Svavar Markússon | ISL | 1:50.5 | NR Q | | 4. Hendrik Haus | NED | 1:51.0 | Q | | 5. Cesáreo Marín |  ESP | 1:52.8 | | | -. Roger Moens |  BEL | DNS | |
|
|
| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Mike Rawson | GBR | 1:50.4 | Q | | 2. Evangelos Depastas | GRE | 1:50.7 | Q | | 3. Olavi Salonen | FIN | 1:50.7 | Q | | 4. Zbigniew Makomaski | POL | 1:51.2 | Q | | 5. Gérard Vervoort |  FRA | 1:51.6 | | | 6. Hendrik Heida | NED | 1:52.3 | |
|
| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Herbert Missalla | FRG | 1:50.0 | Q | | 2. Audun Boysen | NOR | 1:50.5 | Q | | 3. Christian Wägli | SUI | 1:50.6 | Q | | 4. Tadeusz Kaźmierski | POL | 1:50.8 | Q | | 5. Dimitrios Konstantinidis | GRE | 1:50.9 | | | 6. Rudolf Klaban |  AUT | 1:51.3 | |
|
|
| Heat 4 | time | | | 1. Paul Schmidt | FRG | 1:51.4 | Q | | 2. Gianfranco Baraldi | ITA | 1:51.8 | Q | | 3. Lajos Kovács | HUN | 1:52.0 | Q | | 4. Rolf Gottfridsson | SWE | 1:52.0 | Q | | 5. Čeněk Hanka |  TCH | 1:52.1 | | | 6. Robert Misplon | FRA | 1:54.3 | |
|
| 
