| Final | time | L | | 1. Peter Nocke |  FRG | 1:51.72 | 3 | | 2. Andrei Krylov |  URS | 1:51.77 | 4 | | 3. Marcello Guarducci |  ITA | 1:52.35 | 7 | | 4. Frank Wennmann | FRG | 1:53.20 | 2 | | 5. Sergey Koplyakov | URS | 1:53.58 | 5 | | 6. Frank Pfutze |  GDR | 1:53.69 | 6 | | 7. Arne Borgstrom |  NOR | 1:54.36 | 1 | | 8. Rene van der Kuil |  NED | 1:55.06 | 8 |
|
|
|
Heats - Wednesday, 17th August |
| Heat 1 | time | Rk. | | 1. Sergey Koplyakov | URS | 1:53.55 | 2. | | 2. Revelli | ITA | 1:55.08 | 10. | | 3. Detlev Grabs | GDR | 1:55.94 | 15. | | 4. Per Holmertz |  SWE | 1:57.62 | 20. | | 5. Rui Abreu |  POR | 1:57.74 | 21. | | 6. Krasimir Tomanov |  BUL | 1:59.37 | 23. | | 7. Zafer Atamer |  TUR | 2:11.34 | 27. |
|
|
| Heat 2 | time | Rk. | | 1. Frank Pfutze | GDR | 1:54.02 | 4. | | 2. Frank Wennmann | FRG | 1:54.03 | 5. | | 3. Rene van der Kuil | NED | 1:54.79 | 8. | | 4. David Dunne |  GBR | 1:55.93 | 14. | | 5. Henk Elzerman | NED | 1:56.56 | 18. | | 6. Paulo Frischknecht | POR | 1:57.40 | 19. | | 7. Murat Ozuak | TUR | 2:05.15 | 26. |
|
| Heat 3 | time | Rk. | | 1. Andrei Krylov | URS | 1:53.54 | 1. | | 2. Arne Borgstrom | NOR | 1:54.50 | 7. | | 3. Noel |  FRA | 1:55.25 | 12. | | 5. Roman Mikula |  TCH | 1:56.25 | 16. | | 6. Dan Larsson | SWE | 1:56.54 | 17. | | 7. Gurdur Olofsson |  ISL | 2:02.22 | 24. |
|
|
| Heat 4 | time | Rk | | 1. Peter Nocke | FRG | 1:53.88 | 3. | | 2. Marcello Guarducci | ITA | 1:54.14 | 6. | | 3. Gordon Downie | GBR | 1:54.85 | 9. | | 4. Borut Petric |  YUG | 1:55.18 | 11. | | 5. Davis Lopez-Zubero |  ESP | 1:55.90 | 13. | | 6. Dariusz |  POL | 1:58.98 | 22. | | 7. Jos Wilwert |  LUX | 2:04.80 | 25. |
|
|
| 