| Final |   | time |   | gap | L |  | 1. Leonid Kolesnikov |   Soviet Union | 2:41.1 |   |   | 1 |  | 2. Roberto Lazzari |   Italy | 2:41.3 |   | +0.2s | 4 |  | 3. Klaus Bodinger |   West Germany | 2:41.4 |   | +0.3s | 5 |  | 4. Albert Anonyjan |   Soviet Union | 2:41.9 |   | +0.8s | 7 |  | 5. Horst Maluk |   East Germany | 2:41.9 |   | +0.8s | 3 |  | 6. Konrad Enke |   East Germany | 2:42.0 |   | +0.9s | 2 |  | 7. Hans Tröger |   West Germany | 2:44.4 |   | +3.3s | 8 |  | 8. Andrzej Kłopotowski |   Poland | 2:44.9 |   | +3.8s | 6 |   
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| World Record: Terence Gathercole, Australia 2:36.5 Townsville, Australia 28th June 1958 |  | European Record: Leonid Koilesnikov, Soviet Union 2:39.3 Moskva, Soviet Union 19th July 1958 |   
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  |  | Best 8 times advanced to Final.  |   
| Semi 1 |   | time |   | gap | L |  | 2. Klaus Bodinger |   West Germany | 2:42.8 | Q |   | 6 |  | 3. Horst Maluk |   East Germany | 2:43.6 | Q | +0.8s | 5 |  | 5. Konrad Enke |   East Germany | 2:43.7 | Q | +0.9s | 4 |  | 6. Albert Anonyjan |   Soviet Union | 2:43.9 | Q | +1.1s | 3 |  | 10.Vítězslav Svozil |   Czechoslovakia | 2:45.3 |   | +2.5s | 1 |  | 12.Sándor Utassy |   Hungary | 2:46.6 |   | +3.8s | 8 |  | 13.Christopher Walkden |   Great Britain | 2:47.6 |   | +4.9s | 2 |  | -. Gilbert Desmit |   Belgium | DQ |   |   | 7 |   
| Semi 2 |   | time |   | gap | L |  | 1. Roberto Lazzari |   Italy | 2:42.0 | Q |   | 4 |  | 3. Andrzej Kłopotowski |   Poland | 2:43.6 | Q | +1.6s | 5 |  | 7. Leonid Kolesnikov |   Soviet Union | 2:44.1 | Q | +2.1s | 2 |  | 8. Hans Tröger |   West Germany | 2:44.4 | Q | +2.3s | 3 |  | 9. Viktor Svoboda |   Czechoslovakia | 2:45.2 |   | +3.2s | 7 |  | 11.György Kunsági |   Hungary | 2:46.4 |   | +4.4s | 6 |  | 14.Gerald Brauner |   Austria | 2:50.0 |   | +8.0s | 1 |  | 15.Franco Masperi |   Italy | 2:50.5 |   | +8.5s | 8 |   
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| Heat 5 |   | time |   |  | 7. Klaus Bodinger |   West Germany | 2:43.7 | Q |  | 10.Leonid Kolesnikov |   Soviet Union | 2:45.5 | Q |  | 12.Viktor Svoboda |   Czechoslovakia | 2:45.8 | Q |  | 16.Franco Masperi |   Italy | 2:48.6 | Q |  | 19.Jesús Domínguez |   Spain | 2:53.0 |   |  | 23.Georges Szmirlisz |   Greece | 2:59.0 |   |   
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| Heat 4 |   | time |   |  | 1. Konrad Enke |   East Germany | 2:42.1 | Q |  | 13.Svozil Vítězslav |   Czechoslovakia | 2:46.5 | Q |  | 21.Michael Kelly |   Ireland | 2:56.8 |   |   
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| Heat 3 |   | time |   |  | 3. Horst Maluk |   East Germany | 2:42.3 | Q |  | 4. Andrzej Kłopotowski |   Poland | 2:42.8 | Q |  | 11.Gilbert Desmit |   Belgium | 2:45.6 | Q |  | 15.Sándor Utassy |   Hungary | 2:47.9 | Q |  | 17.Andre Skvarlo |   Poland | 2:49.8 |   |  | 24.Ŷ"zer Ŷ"delli |   Turkey | 3:03.7 |   |  | 26.Pekka Lairola |   Finland |   DQ |   
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| Heat 2 |   | time |   |  | 4. Albert Anonyjan |   Soviet Union | 2:42.8 | Q |  | 8. György Kunsági |   Hungary | 2:44.3 | Q |  | 9. Christopher Walkden |   Great Britain | 2:44.6 | Q |  | 25.Ernest Schweitzer |   Luxemburg | 3:09.8 |   |   
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| Heat 1 |   | time |   |  | 1. Roberto Lazzari |   Italy | 2:42.1 | Q |  | 6. Hans Tröger |   West Germany | 2:43.2 | Q |  | 14.Gerald Brauner |   Austria | 2:47.2 | Q |  | 18.Richard Hemingway |   Great Britain | 2:52.4 |   |  | 20.Guillermo Alsina |   Spain | 2:54.6 |   |  | 22.Bisser Naumov |   Bulgaria | 2:58.3 |   |   
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