| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Vladimiras Dudinas |  URS | 8:43.8 | Q | | 2. Arne Risa |  NOR | 8:44.0 | Q | | 3. Georgi Tikhov |  BUL | 8:44.4 | Q | | 4. Jean-Pierre Ouine |  FRA | 8:44.5 | Q | | 5. Wolfgang Luers |  POL | 8:45.6 | Q | | 6. Hans Menet |  SUI | 8:47.2 | Q | | 7. John Jackson |  GBR | 8:48.4 | | | 8. Pavel Sysoyev | URS | 8:54.8 | | | 9. Eddy Van Butsele |  BEL | 9:04.6 | | | 10.Stanisław Śmitkowski | POL | 9:07.4 | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Aleksandr Morozov | URS | 8:44.4 | Q | | 2. Gerry Stevens | GBR | 8:45.4 | Q | | 3. Mikhail Zhelev | BUL | 8:45.6 | Q | | 4. Kazimierz Maranda | POL | 8:48.0 | Q | | 5. Jean-Paul Villain | FRA | 8:50.0 | Q | | 6. Bengt Persson |  SWE | 8:51.0 | Q | | 7. Gheorghe Cefan |  ROU | 8:58.2 | | | 8. Toni Feldmann | SUI | 9:01.2 | | | 9. Umberto Risi |  ITA | 9:03.2 | |
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