Heat 1 | time | | 1. Frencesco Arese | ITA | 3:53.4 | Q | 2. John Whetton | GBR | 3:53.6 | Q | 3. Jerzy Maluśki | POL | 3:53.6 | Q | 4. Pavel Pěnkava | TCH | 3:53.8 | Q | 5. Anatoliy Verlan | URS | 3:54.0 | | 6. Knut Brustad | NOR | DNF | |
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Heat 2 | time | | 1. André De Hertoghe | BEL | 3:44.10 | Q | 2. Henryk Szordykowski | POL | 3:44.1 | Q | 3. Frank Murphy | IRL | 3:44.3 | Q | 4. Pierre Viaux | FRA | 3:45.4 | Q | 5. Jim Douglas | GBR | 3:46.4 | | 6. Mehmet Tümkan | TUR | 3:47.0 | | 7. Hansruedi Knill | SUI | 3:47.9 | | 8. Mikhail Zhelobovskiy | URS | 3:48.2 | | 9. Renzo Finelli | ITA | 3:53.0 | |
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