| Final | time | | gap | | 1. Georgi Prokopenko |  Soviet Union | 2:32.8 | ER | | | 2. Ivan Karetnikov | Soviet Union | 2:33.2 | | +0.4s | | 3. Robert van Empel |  Netherlands | 2:38.1 | | +5.3s | | 4. Wieger Mensonides | Netherlands | 2:38.4 | | +5.6s | | 5. Egon Heninger |  East Germany | 2:38.5 | | +5.7s | | 6. Christopher Wilkinson |  Great Britain | 2:40.8 | | +8.0s | | 7. Ferenc Lenkel |  Hungary | 2:41.4 | | +8.6s | | 8. Henning Thormann | East Germany | 2:44.3 | | +11.5s |
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Heats - Thursday, 23rd August |
| Heat 1 | time | | Rk. | | 1. Robert van Empel | Netherlands | 2:35.3 | | 1. | | 2. Henning Thormann | East Germany | 2:43.1 | | 7. | | 3. Viteslav Svozil |  Czechoslovakia | 2:46.3 | | 12. | | 4. Fransisco Martin |  Spain | 2:46.5 | | 14. | | 5. Andrzej Kiebusiewicz |  Poland | 2:50.7 | | 20. |
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| Heat 2 | time | | Rk. | | 1. Ivan Karetnikov | Soviet Union | 2:37.9 | | 3. | | 2. Ferenc Lenkei | Hungary | 2:41.5 | | 6. | | 3. Sergio Contrada |  Italy | 2:46.7 | | 15. | | 4. Georges Kiehl |  France | 2:48.8 | | 18. | | 5. Ruedi Brack |  Switzerland | 2:49.1 | NR | 19. | | 6. Guido Schiltz |  Luxembourg | 2:59.9 | | 22. |
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| Heat 3 | time | | Rk. | | 1. Egon Henninger | East Germany | 2:40.1 | | 5. | | 2. Christopher Wilkinson | Great Britain | 2:44.2 | | 8. | | 3. Andrzej Skwarlo | Poland | 2:46.4 | | 13. | | 4. Hoerour Finnson |  Iceland | 2:47.5 | | 17. | | 5. Kurt Meng | Switzerland | 2:52.0 | | 21. |
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| Heat 4 | time | | Rk. | | 1. Wieger Mensonides | Netherlands | 2:37.8 | | 2. | | 2. Georgi Prokopenko | Soviet Union | 2:37.9 | | 3. | | 3. Andreas Ultrich | Hungary | 2:44.8 | | 9. | | 4. Roberto Lazzari | Italy | 2:45.0 | | 10. | | 5. Jorge Flaque | Spain | 2:45.7 | | 11. | | 6. Gilbert Desmit |  Belgium | 2:46.7 | | 15. |
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