| | | Final |  | time |  | L |  | 1. Nikolay Chernyetskiy |  Soviet Union | 46.29s |  | 4 |  | 2. Karel Kolář |  Czechoslovakia | 46.55s |  | 2 |  | 3. Remigijus Valiulis |  Soviet Union | 46.75s |  | 3 |  | 4. Horia Toboc |  Romania | 46.95s |  | 1 | 
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 |  |  | First 2 from each Semi advanced to Final. | 
 | | Semi 1 |  | time |  |  | 1. Karel Kolář |  Czechoslovakia | 46.89s | Q |  | 3. Remigijus Valiulis |  Soviet Union | 47.17s | Q |  | 4. Viktor Burakov |  Soviet Union | 47.18s |  |  | -. Stefano Malinverni |  Italy | DNF |  | 
 |  | | Semi 2 |  | time |  |  | 2. Nikolay Chernyetskiy |  Soviet Union | 47.15s | Q |  | 5. Horia Toboc |  Romania | 47.47s | Q |  | 6. Christer Gullstrand |  Sweden | 47.62s |  |  | 7. Alfonso Di Guida |  Italy | 47.97s |  | 
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 | Heats - Saturday, 1st March |  | First 1 from each Heat and next Best 3 advanced to Semi-Finals. | 
 | | Heat 1 |  | time |  |  | 6. Christer Gullstrand |  Sweden | 47.28s | Q |  | 11.Benjamín González |  Spain | 47.94s |  |  | 13.Rolf Gisler |  Switzerland | 47.99s |  |  | 18.Andreas Provelengios |  Greece | 48.95s |  | 
 |  | | Heat 2 |  | time |  |  | 5. Stefano Malinverni |  Italy | 47.17s | Q |  | 9. Stavros Tziortzis |  Greece | 47.72s |  |  | 12.Wolfgang Richter |  West Germany | 47.95s |  |  | 15.Stein-Are Agledal |  Norway | 48.14s |  | 
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 | | Heat 3 |  | time |  |  | 2. Nikolay Chernyetskiy |  Soviet Union | 46.85s | Q |  | 4. Horia Toboc |  Romania | 47.07s | q |  | 10.Vladimir Ivanov |  Bulgaria | 47.80s |  | 
 |  | | Heat 4 |  | time |  |  | 1. Karel Kolář |  Czechoslovakia | 46.47s | Q |  | 3. Remigijus Valiulis |  Soviet Union | 47.00s | q |  | 7. Alfonso Di Guida |  Italy | 47.36s | q |  | 8. Peter Haas |  Switzerland | 47.59s |  | 
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 | | Heat 5 |  | time |  |  | 14.Viktor Burakov |  Soviet Union | 48.03s | Q |  | 16.József Szalai |  Hungary | 48.32s |  |  | 17.Ludger Zander |  West Germany | 48.80s |  |  | -. Urs Kamber |  Switzerland | DQ |  | 
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