| Final | | time | | | 1. Viktor Kudinskiy |  URS | 8:26.6 | CR NR | | 2. Anatoliy Kuryan | URS | 8:28.0 | | | 3. Gaston Roelants |  BEL | 8:28.8 | | | 4. Guy Texereau |  FRA | 8:30.0 | NR | | 5. Manfred Letzerich |  FRG | 8:31.0 | NR | | 6. Dieter Hartmann |  GDR | 8:31.6 | NR | | 7. Zoltán Vamos |  ROU | 8:34.0 | NR | | 8. Maurice Herriott |  GBR | 8:37.0 | | | 9. Bengt Persson |  SWE | 8:38.0 | | | 10.Javier Álvarez |  ESP | 8:40.0 | | | 11.Aleksandr Morozov | URS | 8:40.6 | | | 12.Ernie Pomfret | GBR | 8:40.6 | |
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Heats - Thursday 01.09 | | First 4 progress to Final. |
| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Gaston Roelants | BEL | 8:33.8 | Q | | 2. Aleksandr Morozov | URS | 8:34.0 | Q | | 3. Zoltán Vamos | ROU | 8:34.6 | NR Q | | 4. Bengt Persson | SWE | 8:35.4 | Q | | 5. Jouko Kuha |  FIN | 8:36.2 | NR | | 6. Manuel de Oliveira |  POR | 8:44.0 | | | 7. Hans-Werner Wogatzky | FRG | 8:49.4 | | | 8. Sandor Mate |  HUN | 9:03.2 | | | 9. Lachie Stewart | GBR | 9:10.2 | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Manfred Letzerich | FRG | 8:45.2 | Q | | 2. Dieter Hartmann | GDR | 8:45.4 | Q | | 3. Ernie Pomfret | GBR | 8:46.8 | Q | | 4. Viktor Kudinskiy | URS | 8:48.2 | Q | | 5. Jan-Erik Karlsson | SWE | 8:52.8 | | | 6. Jerzy Czaplewski |  POL | 8:59.8 | | | 7. Petr Holas |  TCH | 9:06.8 | | | 8. István Jóny | HUN | DNF | |
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| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Javier Álvarez | ESP | 8:47.4 | Q | | 2. Guy Texereau | FRA | 8:47.8 | Q | | 3. Maurice Herriott | GBR | 8:48.2 | Q | | 4. Anatoliy Kuryan | URS | 8:49.6 | Q | | 5. Edward Motyl | POL | 8:52.0 | | | 6. Mikhail Zhelev |  BUL | 8:52.0 | | | 7. Karoly Magyar | HUN | 8:54.4 | | | 8. Hartmut Neumann | FRG | 8:57.8 | |
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