| Final | time | | 1. Malvin Whitfield |  United States | 1:53.2 | | 2. William Brown | United States | 1:53.3 | | 3. Hugo Maiocco | United States | 1:53.6 | | 4. Julio Ferreyra Lima |  Argentina | 1:53.6 | | 5. Argemiro Roque |  Brazil | 1:54.6e | | 6. Eduardo Balducci | Argentina | 1:54.7e | | 7. Adolfo Augustin | Argentina | 1:55.6e | | 8. Evelio Planas del Rio |  Cuba | 1:56.6e | | 9. Luis Modesté |  Trinidad Tobago | | | 10.Frank Prince |  Panama | |
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| Heat | time | | 1. Malvin Whitfield | United States | 1:57.7 | | 2. Julio Ferreyra Lima | Argentina | 1:57.8 | | 3. Frank Prince | Panama | 1:58.1 | | 4. Argemiro Roque | Brazil | 1:58.1 | | 5. Hugo Maiocco | United States | | | 6. Wilfred Tull | Trinidad Tobago | | | 7. Filemón Camacho |  Venezuela | | | 8. Rubén Figueredo |  Paraguay | | | -. Samuel Alvarez Lascari |  Mexico | DNS |
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| Heat | time | | | | 1. Eduardo Balducci | Argentina | 1:57.2 | | 2. Evelio Planas del Rio | Cuba | 1:58.2 | | 3. William Brown | United States | 1:58.3 | | 4. Luis Modesté | Trinidad Tobago | 1:58.9 | | 5. Adolfo Augustyn | Argentina | | | 6. Libardo Mora |  Colombia | | | 7. Luis Gonzaga Rodrigues | Brazil | | | 8. Anastasio Zelaya | Paraguay | | | 9. Rogelio Gómez Rodriguez |  Peru | |
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