| Final | time |  | 1. Viktor Markin |   Soviet Union | 44.60s |  | 2. Richard Mitchell |   Australia | 44.84s |  | 3. Frank Schaffer |   East Germany | 44.87s |  | 4. Alberto Juantorena |   Cuba | 45.09s |  | 5. Alfons Brijdenbach |   Belgium | 45.10s |  | 6. Michael Solomon |   Trinidad Tobago | 45.55s |  | 7. David Jenkins |   Great Britain | 45.56s |  | 8. Joseph Coombs |   Trinidad Tobago | 46.33s |   
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| Semi 1 | time |  | 1. Alfons Brijdenbach |   Belgium | 45.46s |  | 2. Richard Mitchell |   Australia | 45.48s |  | 3. David Jenkins |   Great Britain | 45.59s |  | 4. Michael Solomon |   Trinidad Tobago | 45.61s |  | 5. Dele Udo |   Nigeria | 45.88s |  | 6. Nikolai Chernetski |   Soviet Union | 45.94s |  | 7. Mauro Zuliani |   Italy | 46.01s |  | 8. Karel Koler |   Czechoslovakia | 46.11s |   
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| Semit 2 | time |  | 1. Frank Schaffer |   East Germany | 45.47s |  | 2. Viktor Markin |   Soviet Union | 45.60s |  | 3. Alberto Juantorena |   Cuba | 45.95s |  | 4. Joseph Coombs |   Trinidad Tobago | 45.96s |  | 5. Viktor Burakov |   Soviet Union | 45.97s |  | 6. Didier Dubois |   France | 46.72s |  | 7. Jens Smedegaard Hansen |   Denmark | 47.00s |  | 8. Alan Bell |   Great Britain | 48.50s |   
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| Quarter 1 | time |  | 1. Richard Mitchell |   Australia | 45.73s |  | 2. Alfons Brijdenbach |   Belgium | 45.88s |  | 3. Jens Smedegaard Hansen |   Denmark | 45.89s |  | 4. Dele Udo |   Nigeria | 46.18s |  | 5. Francis Demarthon |   France | 46.38s |  | 6. Josko Alebic |   Yugoslavia | 46.60s |  | 7. Charles Lupiya |   Zambia | 47.67s |  | 8. Stefano Malinverni |   Italy | 47.79s |   
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| Quarter 2 | time |  | 1. Frank Schaffer |   East Germany | 46.15s |  | 2. Alberto Juantorena |   Cuba | 46.23s |  | 3. Viktor Burakov |   Soviet Union | 46.23s |  | 4. Didier Dubois |   France | 46.60s |  | 5. Silver Ayoo |   Uganda | 47.03s |  | 6. Bertland Cameron |   Jamaica | 47.31s |  | 7. Glendon Cohen |   Great Britain | 47.35s |  | 8. Jacques Borlie |   Belgium | 47.73s |   
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| Quarter 3 | time |  | 1. Viktor Markin |   Soviet Union | 45.58s |  | 2. Joseph Coombs |   Trinidad Tobago | 45.81s |  | 3. Mauro Zuliani |   Italy | 45.93s |  | 4. Alan Bell |   Great Britain | 46.17s |  | 5. Andrzej Stepien |   Poland | 46.31s |  | 6. Leeuw De Eddy |   Belgium | 46.--s |  | 7. Derrick Peynado |   Jamaica | 46.50s |  | 8. Marcel Klarenbeek |   Netherlands | 46.81s |   
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| Quarter 4 | time |  | 1. David Jenkins |   Great Britain | 45.99s |  | 2. Michael Solomon |   Trinidad Tobago | 46.12s |  | 3. Karel Koler |   Czechoslovakia | 46.27s |  | 4. Nikolai Chernetski |   Soviet Union | 46.30s |  | 5. Roberto Tozzi |   Italy | 46.73s |  | 6. Hope Ezeigbo |   Nigeria | 46.88s |  | 7. Ian Stapleton |   Jamaica | 47.64s |  | 8. Hussain Ali Nsayyif |   Iraq | 48.50s |   
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| Heat 1 | time |  | 1. David Jenkins |   Great Britain | 46.67s |  | 2. Karel Koler |   Czechoslovakia | 47.26s |  | 3. Francis Demarthon |   France | 47.43s |  | 4. Eddy De Leeuw |   Belgium | 47.59s |  | 5. Charles Dramiga |   Uganda | 48.69s |  | 6. Asfaw Deble |   Ethiopia | 49.77s |  | -. Constantino Reis |   Mozambique | nps |   
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| Heat 2 | time |  | 1. Derrick Peynado |   Jamaica | 47.37s |  | 2. Alfons Brijedanbach |   Belgium | 47.72s |  | 3. Andrzej Stepien |   Poland | 47.99s |  | 4. Glendon Cohen |   Great Britain | 48.35s |  | 5. Regis Tranquille |   Seychelles | 49.34s |  | 6. Mohamed Diakite |   Guinea | 49.59s |  | -. Emmanuel Bitanga |   Cameroon | nps |   
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| Heat 3 | time |  | 1. Frank Schaffer |   East Germany | 46.13s |  | 2. Viktor Burakov |   Soviet Union | 46.41s |  | 3. Alberto Juantorena |   Cuba | 46.69s |  | 4. Roberto Tozzi |   Italy | 47.01s |  | 5. Jerzy Pietrzyk |   Poland | 47.18s |  | 6. Geraldo Jose Pegado |   Brazil | 48.71s |  | -. Ruben Inacio |   Angola | nps |  | -. Boubacar Diallo |   Senegal | nps |   
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| Heat 4 | time |  | 1. Bertland Cameron |   Jamaica | 47.54s |  | 2. Didier Dubois |   France | 47.57s |  | 3. Silver Ayoo |   Uganda | 47.78s |  | 4. Charles Lupiya |   Zambia | 48.49s |  | 5. Horia Tohboc |   Romania | 49.90s |  | 6. Leopold Hounkanrin |   Benin | 51.04s |  | 7. Joseph Ramotshabe |   Botswana | 51.49s |   
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| Heat 5 | time |  | 1. Viktor Markin |   Soviet Union | 46.88s |  | 2. Michael Solomon |   Trinidad Tobago | 47.24s |  | 3. Hope Ezeigbo |   Nigeria | 47.46s |  | 4. Jacques Borlie |   Belgium | 47.77s |  | 5. Mohammad el-Abed |   Syria | 50.47s |  | 6. Sahr Kendor |   Siera Leone | 52.98s |  | -. Koen Gijsbers |   Netherlands | nps |   
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| Heat 6 | time |  | 1. Nikolai Chernetski |   Soviet Union | 47.04s |  | 2. Mauro Zuliani |   Italy | 47.16s |  | 3. Marcel Klarenbeek |   Netherlands | 47.37s |  | 4. Alan Bell |   Great Britain | 47.38s |  | 5. Oddur Sigurdsson |   Iceland | 47.39s |  | 6. Isidoro Hornillos |   Spain | 47.45s |  | -. Christer Gullstrand |   Sweden | nps |   
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| Heat 7 | time |  | 1. Dele Udo |   Nigeria | 46.48s |  | 2. Joseph Coombs |   Trinidad Tobago | 46.55s |  | 3. Richard Mitchell |   Australia | 46.63s |  | 4. Jens Smedegaard Hansen |   Denmark | 47.01s |  | 5. Jimmy Massallay |   Siera Leone | 49.68s |  | 6. Elmehdi Diab |   Libya | 49.89s |  | 7. Pann Khemanith |   Laos | 53.74s |   
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| Heat 8 | time |  | 1. Josko Alebic |   Yugoslavia | 47.61s |  | 2. Stefano Malinverni |   Italy | 47.63s |  | 3. Ian Stapleton |   Jamaica | 47.97s |  | 4. Hussain Ali Nsayyif |   Iraq | 48.03s |  | 5. Harry Schulting |   Netherlands | 48.53s |  | 6. William Akabi-Davis |   Siera Leone | 50.80s |   
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