| | | Final | time |  | 1. Viktor Markin |  Soviet Union | 44.60s |  | 2. Richard Mitchell |  Australia | 44.84s |  | 3. Frank Schaffer |  East Germany | 44.87s |  | 4. Alberto Juantorena |  Cuba | 45.09s |  | 5. Alfons Brijdenbach |  Belgium | 45.10s |  | 6. Michael Solomon |  Trinidad Tobago | 45.55s |  | 7. David Jenkins |  Great Britain | 45.56s |  | 8. Joseph Coombs |  Trinidad Tobago | 46.33s | 
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 | | Semi 1 | time |  | 1. Alfons Brijdenbach |  Belgium | 45.46s |  | 2. Richard Mitchell |  Australia | 45.48s |  | 3. David Jenkins |  Great Britain | 45.59s |  | 4. Michael Solomon |  Trinidad Tobago | 45.61s |  | 5. Dele Udo |  Nigeria | 45.88s |  | 6. Nikolai Chernetski |  Soviet Union | 45.94s |  | 7. Mauro Zuliani |  Italy | 46.01s |  | 8. Karel Koler |  Czechoslovakia | 46.11s | 
 |  | | Semit 2 | time |  | 1. Frank Schaffer |  East Germany | 45.47s |  | 2. Viktor Markin |  Soviet Union | 45.60s |  | 3. Alberto Juantorena |  Cuba | 45.95s |  | 4. Joseph Coombs |  Trinidad Tobago | 45.96s |  | 5. Viktor Burakov |  Soviet Union | 45.97s |  | 6. Didier Dubois |  France | 46.72s |  | 7. Jens Smedegaard Hansen |  Denmark | 47.00s |  | 8. Alan Bell |  Great Britain | 48.50s | 
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 | | Quarter 1 | time |  | 1. Richard Mitchell |  Australia | 45.73s |  | 2. Alfons Brijdenbach |  Belgium | 45.88s |  | 3. Jens Smedegaard Hansen |  Denmark | 45.89s |  | 4. Dele Udo |  Nigeria | 46.18s |  | 5. Francis Demarthon |  France | 46.38s |  | 6. Josko Alebic |  Yugoslavia | 46.60s |  | 7. Charles Lupiya |  Zambia | 47.67s |  | 8. Stefano Malinverni |  Italy | 47.79s | 
 |  | | Quarter 2 | time |  | 1. Frank Schaffer |  East Germany | 46.15s |  | 2. Alberto Juantorena |  Cuba | 46.23s |  | 3. Viktor Burakov |  Soviet Union | 46.23s |  | 4. Didier Dubois |  France | 46.60s |  | 5. Silver Ayoo |  Uganda | 47.03s |  | 6. Bertland Cameron |  Jamaica | 47.31s |  | 7. Glendon Cohen |  Great Britain | 47.35s |  | 8. Jacques Borlie |  Belgium | 47.73s | 
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 | | Quarter 3 | time |  | 1. Viktor Markin |  Soviet Union | 45.58s |  | 2. Joseph Coombs |  Trinidad Tobago | 45.81s |  | 3. Mauro Zuliani |  Italy | 45.93s |  | 4. Alan Bell |  Great Britain | 46.17s |  | 5. Andrzej Stepien |  Poland | 46.31s |  | 6. Leeuw De Eddy |  Belgium | 46.--s |  | 7. Derrick Peynado |  Jamaica | 46.50s |  | 8. Marcel Klarenbeek |  Netherlands | 46.81s | 
 |  | | Quarter 4 | time |  | 1. David Jenkins |  Great Britain | 45.99s |  | 2. Michael Solomon |  Trinidad Tobago | 46.12s |  | 3. Karel Koler |  Czechoslovakia | 46.27s |  | 4. Nikolai Chernetski |  Soviet Union | 46.30s |  | 5. Roberto Tozzi |  Italy | 46.73s |  | 6. Hope Ezeigbo |  Nigeria | 46.88s |  | 7. Ian Stapleton |  Jamaica | 47.64s |  | 8. Hussain Ali Nsayyif |  Iraq | 48.50s | 
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 | | Heat 1 | time |  | 1. David Jenkins |  Great Britain | 46.67s |  | 2. Karel Koler |  Czechoslovakia | 47.26s |  | 3. Francis Demarthon |  France | 47.43s |  | 4. Eddy De Leeuw |  Belgium | 47.59s |  | 5. Charles Dramiga |  Uganda | 48.69s |  | 6. Asfaw Deble |  Ethiopia | 49.77s |  | -. Constantino Reis |  Mozambique | nps | 
 |  | | Heat 2 | time |  | 1. Derrick Peynado |  Jamaica | 47.37s |  | 2. Alfons Brijedanbach |  Belgium | 47.72s |  | 3. Andrzej Stepien |  Poland | 47.99s |  | 4. Glendon Cohen |  Great Britain | 48.35s |  | 5. Regis Tranquille |  Seychelles | 49.34s |  | 6. Mohamed Diakite |  Guinea | 49.59s |  | -. Emmanuel Bitanga |  Cameroon | nps | 
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 | | Heat 3 | time |  | 1. Frank Schaffer |  East Germany | 46.13s |  | 2. Viktor Burakov |  Soviet Union | 46.41s |  | 3. Alberto Juantorena |  Cuba | 46.69s |  | 4. Roberto Tozzi |  Italy | 47.01s |  | 5. Jerzy Pietrzyk |  Poland | 47.18s |  | 6. Geraldo Jose Pegado |  Brazil | 48.71s |  | -. Ruben Inacio |  Angola | nps |  | -. Boubacar Diallo |  Senegal | nps | 
 |  | | Heat 4 | time |  | 1. Bertland Cameron |  Jamaica | 47.54s |  | 2. Didier Dubois |  France | 47.57s |  | 3. Silver Ayoo |  Uganda | 47.78s |  | 4. Charles Lupiya |  Zambia | 48.49s |  | 5. Horia Tohboc |  Romania | 49.90s |  | 6. Leopold Hounkanrin |  Benin | 51.04s |  | 7. Joseph Ramotshabe |  Botswana | 51.49s | 
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 | | Heat 5 | time |  | 1. Viktor Markin |  Soviet Union | 46.88s |  | 2. Michael Solomon |  Trinidad Tobago | 47.24s |  | 3. Hope Ezeigbo |  Nigeria | 47.46s |  | 4. Jacques Borlie |  Belgium | 47.77s |  | 5. Mohammad el-Abed |  Syria | 50.47s |  | 6. Sahr Kendor |  Siera Leone | 52.98s |  | -. Koen Gijsbers |  Netherlands | nps | 
 |  | | Heat 6 | time |  | 1. Nikolai Chernetski |  Soviet Union | 47.04s |  | 2. Mauro Zuliani |  Italy | 47.16s |  | 3. Marcel Klarenbeek |  Netherlands | 47.37s |  | 4. Alan Bell |  Great Britain | 47.38s |  | 5. Oddur Sigurdsson |  Iceland | 47.39s |  | 6. Isidoro Hornillos |  Spain | 47.45s |  | -. Christer Gullstrand |  Sweden | nps | 
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 | | Heat 7 | time |  | 1. Dele Udo |  Nigeria | 46.48s |  | 2. Joseph Coombs |  Trinidad Tobago | 46.55s |  | 3. Richard Mitchell |  Australia | 46.63s |  | 4. Jens Smedegaard Hansen |  Denmark | 47.01s |  | 5. Jimmy Massallay |  Siera Leone | 49.68s |  | 6. Elmehdi Diab |  Libya | 49.89s |  | 7. Pann Khemanith |  Laos | 53.74s | 
 |  | | Heat 8 | time |  | 1. Josko Alebic |  Yugoslavia | 47.61s |  | 2. Stefano Malinverni |  Italy | 47.63s |  | 3. Ian Stapleton |  Jamaica | 47.97s |  | 4. Hussain Ali Nsayyif |  Iraq | 48.03s |  | 5. Harry Schulting |  Netherlands | 48.53s |  | 6. William Akabi-Davis |  Siera Leone | 50.80s | 
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