| Final | | time | | gap | L | | 1. Udo Poser |  East Germany | 2:08.0 | | | 4 | | 2. Folkert Meeuw |  West Germany | 2:08.2 | NR | 0.2s | 3 | | 3. Hartmut Flöckner | East Germany | 2:09.6 | | 1.6s | 6 | | 4. Alain Mosconi |  France | 2:10.1 | NR | 2.1s | 8 | | 5. Vlagyimir Nyemsilov |  Soviet Union | 2:10.4 | | 2.4s | 5 | | 6. Szergej Konov | Soviet Union | 2:11.0 | | 3.0s | 2 | | 7. Martyn Woodroffe |  Great Britain | 2:11.8 | | 3.8s | 7 | | 8. John Mills | Great Britain | 2:13.0 | | 5.0s | 1 |
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| World Record: | | European Record: |
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Heats - , --th September | | Best 8 times advanced to Final>. |
| Heat 4 | | time | | | 2. Vlagyimir Nyemsilov | Soviet Union | 2:07.6 | Q, NR | | 5. Szergej Konov | Soviet Union | 2:10.5 | Q | | 6. Martyn Woodroffe | Great Britain | 2:10.6 | Q | | 9. Anders Bellbring |  Sweden | 2:12.8 | | | 11.Hargitay András |  Hungary | 2:13.5 | NR | | 16.Jacek Krawczyzk |  Poland | 2:16.8 | |
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| Heat 3 | | time | | | 4. Hartmut Flöckner | East Germany | 2:10.0 | Q | | 8. Alain Mosconi | France | 2:11.7 | Q, NR | | 11.Arturo Lang-Lenton |  Spain | 2:13.5 | NR | | 13.Lutz Stoklasa | West Germany | 2:13.7 | | | 14.Jacques Leloup |  Belgium | 2:16.5 | NR |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 3. Folkert Meeuw | West Germany | 2:08.7 | Q, NR | | 7. John Mills | Great Britain | 2:11.6 | Q | | 15.Esteban Cardellach | Spain | 2:16.7 | |
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| Heat 1 | | time | | | 1. Udo Poser | East Germany | 2:07.3 | Q, ECR, NR | | 10.Angelo Tozzi |  Italy | 2:13.3 | | | 17.Dimitriosz Karidisz |  Greece | 2:18.7 | | | 18.Strasser Jürg |  Switzerland | 2:21.3 | | | 19.Antti Nikula |  Finland | 2:24.1 | | | 20.Darasz Krisztosz | Greece | 2:30.2 | |
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