| Final 16:40 | time |  | 1. Eamonn Coghlan |  IRL | 13:28.53 |  | 2. Werner Schildhauer |  GDR | 13:30.20 |  | 3. Martti Vainio |  FIN | 13:30.34 |  | 4. Dmitriy Dmitriyev |  URS | 13:30.38 |  | 5. Doug Padilla |  USA | 13:32.08 |  | 6. Thomas Wessinghage |  FRG | 13:32.46 |  | 7. Wodajo Bulti |  ETH | 13:34.03 |  | 8. Dietmar Millonig |  AUT | 13:36.08 |  | 9. Paul Kipkoech |  KEN | 13:37.44 |  | 10.Antonio Leitao |  POR | 13:38.55 |  | 11.Valeriy Abramov |  URS | 13:39.80 |  | 12.Markus Ryffel |  SUI | 13:39.98 |  | 13.Salvatore Antibo |  ITA | 13:40.76 |  | 14.Julian Goater |  GBR | 13:48.13 |  | 15.Anatoliy Krokhmalyuk |  URS | 14:00.27 |   
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| Semi 1 | time |  | 1. Markus Ryffel |  SUI | 13:32.34 |  | 2. Thomas Wessinghage |  FRG | 13:32.37 |  | 3. Werner Schildhauer |  GDR | 13:32.49 |  | 4. Dietmar Millonig |  AUT | 13:32.86 |  | 5. Doug Padilla |  USA | 13:32.90 |  | 6. Paul Kipkoech |  KEN | 13:33.33 |  | 7. Julian Goater |  GBR | 13:36.21 |  | 8. Anatoliy Krokhmalyuk |  URS | 13:37.24 |  | 9. Philippos Philippou |  GRE | 13:40.81 |  | 10.Paul Williams |  CAN | 13:50.30 |  | 11.David Clarke |  GBR | 13:58.37 |  | 12.Seyoum Nigatu |  ETH | 14:02.23 |  | 13.Kenji Ide |  JPN | 14:04.94 |  | 14.Justin Gloden |  LUX | 14:12.25 |  | 15.Ronald Lanzoni |  CRC | 14:47.30 |   
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| Semi 2 | time |  | 1. Dmitriy Dmitriyev |  URS | 13:31.40 |  | 2. Eamonn Coghlan |  IRL | 13:31.66 |  | 3. Antonio Leitao |  POR | 13:32.33 |  | 4. Wodajo Bulti |  ETH | 13:33.03 |  | 5. Salvatore Antibo |  ITA | 13:33.12 |  | 6. Valeriy Abramov |  URS | 13:33.37 |  | 7. Martti Vainio |  FIN | 13:34.18 |  | 8. Jim Hill |  USA | 13:38.56 |  | 9. Jim Spivey |  USA | 13:43.17 |  | 10.Jorge Garcia |  ESP | 13:46.36 |  | 11.Eamonn Martin |  GBR | 13:48.60 |  | 12.Charles Cheruiyot |  KEN | 13:52.61 |  | 13.Abderrazak Bounour |  ALG | 14:00.78 |  | 14.Fethi Baccouche |  TUN | 14:19.64 |  | 15.Ricardo Vera |  URU | 14:20.20 |   
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| Heat 1 | time |  | 1. Markus Ryffel |  SUI | 13:43.36 |  | 2. Wodajo Bulti |  ETH | 13:43.53 |  | 3. Eamonn Martin |  GBR | 13:43.57 |  | 4. Thomas Wessinghage |  FRG | 13:43.66 |  | 5. Anatoliy Krokhmalyuk |  URS | 13:43.78 |  | 6. Salvatore Antibo |  ITA | 13:44.05 |  | 7. Charles Cheruiyot |  KEN | 13:44.43 |  | 8. Doug Padilla |  USA | 13:44.71 |  | 9. Philippos Philippou |  GRE | 13:45.24 |  | 10.Abderrazak Bounour |  ALG | 13:57.93 |  | 11.Justin Gloden |  LUX | 14:26.02 |  | 12.Mohamed Bakheet |  PAL | 14:52.26 |  | 13.Ramon Lopez |  PAR | 15:10.29 |   
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| Heat 2 | time |  | 1. Paul Kipkoech |  KEN | 14:18.73 |  | 2. Fethi Baccouche |  TUN | 14:23.79 |  | 3. Julian Goater |  GBR | 14:23.93 |  | 4. Antonio Leitao |  POR | 14:28.63 |  | 5. Dmitriy Dmitriyev |  URS | 14:37.75 |  | 6. Ronald Lanzoni |  CRC | 14:49.20 |  | 7. Werner Schildhauer |  GDR | 14:49.22 |  | 8. Jim Hill |  USA | 14:58.21 |  | 9. Antoine Nivyobizi |  BUR | 15:14.60 |  | 10.Jose Jaime Hernandez |  ESA | 15:29.86 |  | 11.Alden Morris |  TKS | 18:06.35 |  | -. Christoph Herle |  FRG | DNS |  | -. Mohamed Kedir |  ETH | DNS |   
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| Heat 3 | time |  | 1. Valeriy Abramov |  URS | 14:12.61 |  | 2. Seyoum Nigatu |  ETH | 14:13.22 |  | 3. Dietmar Millonig |  AUT | 14:13.65 |  | 4. Eamonn Coghlan |  IRL | 14:13.80 |  | 5. David Clarke |  GBR | 14:13.97 |  | 6. Jorge Garcia |  ESP | 14:14.57 |  | 7. Paul Williams |  CAN | 14:15.10 |  | 8. Jim Spivey |  USA | 14:15.70 |  | 9. Ricardo Vera |  URU | 14:17.26 |  | 10.Kenji Ide |  JPN | 14:18.34 |  | 11.Martti Vainio |  FIN | 14:18.74 |  | 12.Masini Situ-Kubanza |  COD | 15:02.26 |  | -. Hansjorg Kunze |  GDR | DNS |   
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