| Final | time | L  |  | 1. Vladimir Salnikov |   Soviet Union | 15:16.45 | 4  |  | 2. Valentin Parinov |   Soviet Union | 15:30.05 | 5  |  | 3. Borut Petric |   Yugoslavia | 15:30.74 | 7  |  | 4. Zoltan Wladar |   Hungary | 15:39.94 | 3 |  | 5. Gary Andersson |   Sweden | 15:41.14 | 6 |  | 6. David Parker |   Great Britain | 15:42.55 | 1 |  | 7. Istvan Koczka |   Hungary | 15:56.24 | 2 |  | 8. Stephan Andersson |   Sweden | 16:17.85 | 8 |   
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| Heat 1 | time | Rk. |  | 1. Zoltan Wladar |   Hungary | 15:46.86 | 3. |  | 2. Istvan Koczka |   Hungary | 15:52.24 | 5. |  | 3. Rafael Escalas |   Spain | 16:01.89 | 9. |  | 4. Daniel Machek |   Czechoslovakia | 16:06.64 | 12. |  | 5. Krasimir Tumanov |   Bulgaria | 16:19.16 | 14. |  | 6. Jose Leite |   Portugal | 16:41.54 | 17. |   
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| Heat 2 | time | Rk. |  | 1. Valentin Parinov |   Soviet Union | 15:34.17 | 2. |  | 2. Borut Petric |   Yugoslavia | 15:56.74 | 6. |  | 3. Paul Sparkes |   Great Britain | 16:04.52 | 10. |  | 4. Stephen Wenz |   West Germany | 16:14.11 | 13. |  | 5. Antonio Melo |   Portugal | 17:28.63 | 18. |   
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| Heat 3 | time | Rk. |  | 1. Vladimir Salnikov |   Soviet Union | 15:31.51 | 1. |  | 2. Gary Andersson |   Sweden | 15:51.57 | 4. |  | 3. David Parker |   Great Britain | 15:58.81 | 7. |  | 4. Stephan Andersson |   Sweden | 16:00.69 | 8. |  | 5. Giorgio Quadri |   Italy | 16:04.57 | 11. |  | 6. Dariusz Broda |   Poland | 16:23.58 | 15. |  | 7. Gerard Waldmann |   Switzerland | 16:33.05 | 16. |   
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