| Final | | time | | | 1. Ricky Wilde |  Great Britain | 7:46.85 | WB | | 2. Harald Norpoth |  West Germany | 7:49.50 | | | 3. Javier šlvarez |  Spain | 7:52.45 | | | 4. Nikolay Sviridov |  Soviet Union | 7:54.6 | | | 5. Werner Girke | West Germany | 7:56.0 | | | 6. Emiel Puttemans |  Belgium | 7:57.0 | | | 7. Jørn Lauenborg |  Denmark | 7:58.2 | | | 8. Kazimierz Maranda |  Poland | 8:07.2 | |
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| | | First 2 from each Heat advanced to Final. |
| 1. Ricky Wilde | Great Britain | 8:01.4s | Q | | 2. Harald Norpoth | West Germany | 8:02.0s | Q | | 3. Emiel Puttemans | Belgium | 8:02.3s | Q | | 4. Jørn Lauenborg | Denmark | 8:03.1s | Q | | 5. Pavel Pěnkava |  Czechoslovakia | 8:04.6s | | | 6. Seppo Tuominen |  Finland | 8:09.6s | |
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| 1. Nikolay Sviridov | Soviet Union | 8:11.8s | Q | | 2. Werner Girke | West Germany | 8:13.0s | Q | | 3. Kazimierz Maranda | Poland | 8:13.6s | Q | | 4. Javier šlvarez | Spain | 8:13.8s | Q | | 5. Umberto Risi |  Italy | 8:17.0s | | | 6. Terje Schrøder-Nielsen |  Norway | 8:18.0s | | | 7. Richard Fink |  Austria | 8:26.6s | |
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