| Final | time | age |  | 1. Alberto Juantorena |  CUB | 1:43.50 | 25 |  | 2. Ivo Van Damme |  BEL | 1:43.86 | 22 |  | 3. Rick Wohlhunter |  USA | 1:44.12 | 27 |  | 4. Willi Wulbeck |  FRG | 1:45.26 | 21 |  | 5. Steve Ovett |  GBR | 1:45.44 | 20 |  | 6. Luciano Susanj |  YUG | 1:45.75 | 27 |  | 7. Sri Ram Singh |  IND | 1:45.77 | 26 |  | 8. Carlo Grippo |  ITA | 1:48.39 | 21 |   
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| Semi 1 | time |  | 1. Alberto Juantorena |  CUB | 1:45.88 |  | 2. Ivo Vandamme |  BEL | 1:46.00 |  | 3. Steven O'Vett |  GBR | 1:46.14 |  | 4. Sriram Singh |  IND | 1:46.42 |  | 5. James Robinson |  USA | 1:46.43 |  | 6. Marian Gesicki |  POL | 1:47.06 |  | 7 Thomas Wessinghage |  FRG | 1:48.18 |  | -.Horace Tuitt |  TRI | DNF |   
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| Semi 2 | time |  | 1. Richard Wohlhuter |  USA | 1:46.72 |  | 2. Carlo Grippo |  ITA | 1:46.95 |  | 3. Lucijano Susanj |  YUG | 1:47.03 |  | 4. Willi Wuelbeck |  FRG | 1:47.18 |  | 5. Seymour Newman |  JAM | 1:47.22 |  | 6. Leandro Civil |  CUB | 1:47.31 |  | 7. Victor Anohin |  URS | 1:47.71 |  | 8. Frank Clement |  GBR | 1:48.28 |   
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| Heat 1 | time |  | 1. Richard Wohlhuter |  USA | 1:45.71 |  | 2. Sriram Singh |  IND | 1:45.86 |  | 3. Leandro Civil |  CUB | 1:45.88 |  | 4. Marian Gesicki |  POL | 1:46.36 |  | 5. Thomas Wessinghage |  FRG | 1:46.56 |  | 6. Victor Anohin |  URS | 1:46.81 |  | 7. Muhammad Younis |  PAK | 1:48.50 |   
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| Heat 2 | time |  | 1. Frank Clement |  GBR | 1:47.51 |  | 2. James Robinson |  USA | 1:47.56 |  | 3. John Walker |  NZL | 1:47.63 |  | 4. Andres Ballbe |  ESP | 1:48.38 |  | 5. Fern. Pacheco Mamede |  POR | 1:49.58 |  | 6. Francisco Solis |  DOM | 1:55.56 |  | 7. Wilnor Joseph |  HAI | 2:15:26 |   
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| Heat 3 | time |  | 1. Steven O'Vett |  GBR | 1:48.27 |  | 2. Seymour Newman |  JAM | 1:48.46 |  | 3. Paul-H Wellmann |  FRG | 1:48.47 |  | 4. Josef Plachy |  TCH | 1:48.63 |  | 5. Gunther Hasler |  LIE | 1:48.83 |  | 6. Evert Hoving |  HOL | 1:48.99 |  | 7. Roy Botse |  SUR | 1:49.85 |   
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| Heat 4 | time |  | 1. Alberto Juantorena |  CUB | 1:47.15 |  | 2. Carlo Grippo |  ITA | 1:47.21 |  | 3. Janos Zemen |  HUN | 1:47.40 |  | 4. Milovan Savic |  YUG | 1:47.73 |  | 5. Jorge Ortiz |  PUR | 1:51.38 |  | -.Roqui Sanchez |  FRA | DSQ |  | -.Markku Taskinen |  FIN | DNS |   
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| Heat 5 | time |  | 1. Willi Wuelbeck |  FRG | 1:48.47 |  | 2. Horace Tuitt |  TRI | 1:48.48 |  | 3. Vladimir Ponomarev |  URS | 1:48.59 |  | 4. Ake Svensson |  SWE | 1:48.86 |  | 5. Jose Marajo |  FRA | 1:49.60 |  | 6. Orlando Greene |  BAR | 1:51.43 |  | 7. Ateyah El Khashaami |  KSA | 1:57.67 |   
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| Heat 6 | time |  | 1. Ivo Vandamme |  BEL | 1:47.80 |  | 2. Lucijano Susanj |  YUG | 1:47.82 |  | 3. Mark Enyeart |  USA | 1:47.96 |  | 4. Rolf Gysin |  SUI | 1:48.69 |  | 5. Niall O'Shaughnessy |  IRL | 1:49.29 |  | 6. Luis Medina |  CUB | 1:50.15 |  | 7. Marcel Philippe |  FRA | 1:50.81 |   
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