| Final | | time | | | 1. Peter Stewart |  Great Britain | 7:53.6 | | | 2. Wilfried Scholz |  East Germany | 7:54.4 | | | 3. Yuriy Aleksashin |  Soviet Union | 8:01.2 | | | 4. Anatoliy Verlan | Soviet Union | 8:05.0 | | | 5. Lajos Mecser |  Hungary | 8:06.2 | | | 6. Egbert Nijstadt |  Netherlands | 8:13.6 | | | 7. Giuseppe Cindolo |  Italy | 8:22.6 | | | 8. Gérard Vervoort |  France | 8:24.8 | |
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| | | First 3 from each Heat advanced to Final. |
| Heat 1 | | time | | | 1. Wilfried Scholz | East Germany | 8:00.9 | Q | | 2. Yuriy Aleksashin | Soviet Union | 8:02.2 | Q | | 3. Egbert Nijstadt | Netherlands | 8:05.8 | Q | | 4. Lajos Mecser | Hungary | 8:07.1 | Q | | 5. Rune Holmén |  Finland | 8:11.5 | | | 6. Petko Yordanov |  Bulgaria | 8:19.8 | | | 7. Gaetano Pusterla | Italy | 8:20.4 | | | 8. Edgard Salvé |  Belgium | 8:52.0 | |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 1. Giuseppe Cindolo | Italy | 8:19.5 | Q | | 2. Peter Stewart | Great Britain | 8:19.6 | Q | | 3. Anatoliy Verlan | Soviet Union | 8:20.5 | Q | | 4. Gérard Vervoort | France | 8:20.8 | Q | | 5. Toni Feldmann |  Switzerland | 8:21.2 | | | 6. Paul Angenvoorth |  West Germany | 8:23.8 | | | 7. Stanisław Podzoba |  Poland | 8:27.5 | |
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| All Times | | Final | | time | | | 1. Peter Stewart | Great Britain | 7:53.6 | | | 2. Wilfried Scholz | East Germany | 7:54.4 | | | 3. Yuriy Aleksashin | Soviet Union | 8:01.2 | | | 4. Anatoliy Verlan | Soviet Union | 8:05.0 | | | 5. Lajos Mecser | Hungary | 8:06.2 | | | 6. Egbert Nijstadt | Netherlands | 8:13.6 | | | 7. Giuseppe Cindolo | Italy | 8:22.6 | | | 8. Gérard Vervoort | France | 8:24.8 | | | Heat 1 | | time | | | Heat 2 | | time | | | 1. Wilfried Scholz | East Germany | 8:00.9 | Q | | 2. Yuriy Aleksashin | Soviet Union | 8:02.2 | Q | | 3. Egbert Nijstadt | Netherlands | 8:05.8 | Q | | 4. Lajos Mecser | Hungary | 8:07.1 | Q | | 5. Rune Holmén | Finland | 8:11.5 | | | 6. Petko Yordanov | Bulgaria | 8:19.8 | | | 7. Gaetano Pusterla | Italy | 8:20.4 | | | 8. Edgard Salvé | Belgium | 8:52.0 | | | 1. Giuseppe Cindolo | Italy | 8:19.5 | Q | | 2. Peter Stewart | Great Britain | 8:19.6 | Q | | 3. Anatoliy Verlan | Soviet Union | 8:20.5 | Q | | 4. Gérard Vervoort | France | 8:20.8 | Q | | 5. Toni Feldmann | Switzerland | 8:21.2 | | | 6. Paul Angenvoorth | West Germany | 8:23.8 | | | 7. Stanisław Podzoba | Poland | 8:27.5 | |
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