| 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 | |
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| 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 |
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