| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Benjamin Kogo | KEN | 8:57.8 | | 2. Javier Alvarez | ESP | 9:03.8 | | 3. Bengt Persson | SWE | 9:06.4 | | 4. Arne Risa | NOR | 9:07.2 | | 5. John Jackson | GBR | 9:11.4 | | 6. Conrad Nightingale | USA | 9:13.2 | | 7. Tadesse Woldemedhin | ETH | 9:13.2 | | 8. Manuel Oliveira | POR | 9:19.2 | | 9. Klaus Brosius | FRG | 9:24.0 | | 10.Janos Szabo | HUN | 9:25.8 | | 11.Pedro Miranda | MEX | 9:26.0 | | 12.Domingo Amaizłn | ARG | 9:43.0 |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Jean Villain | FRA | 9:01.2 | | 2. George Young | USA | 9:02.2 | | 3. Kerry O'Brien | AUS | 9:02.4 | | 4. Victor Kudinsky | URS | 9:05.2 | | 5. Wilhelm Wagner | FRG | 9:16.0 | | 6. Labidi Ayachi | TUN | 9:24.4 | | 7. Nobuyoshi Miura | JPN | 9:24.6 | | 8. Maurice Herriott | GBR | 9:33.0 | | 9. Albertino Etchechury | URG | 9:34.6 | | 10.Eddy Van Butsele | BEL | 9:35.6 | | 11.Jan Cych | POL | 9:38.8 | | 12.Hans Menet | SUI | 9:50.8 | | 13.Efran Cordero | SAL | 10:02.0 |
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| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Amos Biwott | KEN | 8:49.4 | | 2. Jelev Mihail | BUL | 9:01.0 | | 3. Gaston Roelants | BEL | 9:08.2 | | 4. Alexander Morozov | URS | 9:08.4 | | 5. William Reilly | USA | 9:10.4 | | 6. Robert Welsh | NZL | 9:13.8 | | 7. Gareth Bryan-Jones | GBR | 9:16.8 | | 8. Jan-Erik Karlsson | SWE | 9:19.6 | | 9. Taketsugu Saruwatari | JPN | 9:26.2 | | 10.Gerd M¶lders | FRG | 9:32.2 | | 11.Umberto Risi | ITA | 9:44.0 | | 12.Julio Quevedo | GUA | 9:48.4 |
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