| Final | time | age | | 1. Vincent Matthews |  USA | 44.66s | 24 | | 2. Wayne Collett | USA | 44.80s | 22 | | 3. Julius Sang |  KEN | 44.92s | 26 | | 4. Charles Asati | KEN | 45.13s | 26 | | 5. Horst-Rudiger Schloske |  FRG | 45.31s | 26 | | 6. Markku Kukkoaho |  FIN | 45.49s | 25 | | 7. Karl Honz | FRG | 45.68s | 21 | | -. John Smith | USA | DNF | 22 |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Vincent Matthews | USA | 44.94s | | 2. Karl Honz | FRG | 45.32s | | 3. John Smith | USA | 45;46s | | 4. Charles Asati | KEN | 45.47s | | 5. David Jenkins |  GBR | 45.91s | | 6. Tegegn Bezabeh |  ETH | 45.98s | | 7. Georg N¼ckles | FRG | 46.28s | | 8. Andrzej Badehski |  POL | 46.38s |
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| Semi 2 | time | | 1. Julius Sang | KEN | 45.30s | | 2. Horst-Rudiger Schloske | FRG | 45.62s | | 3. Wayne Collett | USA | 45.77s | | 4. Markku Kukkoaho | FIN | 46.02s | | 5. Alberto Juantorena |  CUB | 46.07s | | 6. Jan Werner | POL | 46.26s | | 7. Martin Reynolds | GBR | 46.71s | | -. Zbigniew Jaremski | POL | DNS |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Wayne Collett | USA | 45.80s | | 2. Alberto Juantorena | CUB | 45.96s | | 3. Jan Werner | POL | 46.02s | | 4. Martin Reynolds | GBR | 46.11s | | 5. Charles Joseph |  TRI | 46.14s | | 6. Robert Ojo |  NGR | 46.73s | | 7. Omar Ghizlat |  MAR | 46.84s | | 8. Sam Bugri |  GHA | 47.34s |
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| Quarter 2 | time | | 1. Horst-R¼diger Schlaske | FRG | 45.41s | | 2. Vincent Matthews | USA | 45.62s | | 3. Tegegn Bezabeh | ETH | 45.97s | | 4. Gilles Bertould |  FRA | 46.14s | | 5. Wickrema Wimaladase |  CEY | 46.50s | | 6. Leighton Priestley |  JAM | 47.76s | | 7. Arthur Cooper | TRI | 48.29s | | 8. Reza Entezari |  IRN | 48.69s |
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| Quarter 3 | time | | 1. David Jenkins | GBR | 45.99s | | 2. John Smith | USA | 46.04s | | 3. Markku Kukkoaho | FIN | 46.11s | | 4. Hezahiah Nyamau | KEN | 46.80s | | 5. Bruce Ijirighwo | NGR | 46.81s | | 6. Daniel Velasques | FRA | 46.91s | | 7. Amadou Gakou |  SEN | 46.96s | | 8. Hussein Angelo K Nimir |  SUD | 47.33s |
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| Quarter 4 | time | | 1. Karl Honz | FRG | 45.87s | | 2. Julius Sang | KEN | 45.92s | | 3. Zbigniew Jaremski | POL | 46.52s | | 4. Anders Faager |  SWE | 46.54s | | 5. Francis Kerbiriou | FRA | 46.63s | | 6. Yoshiharu Tomonaga |  JPN | 46.92s | | 7. Gary Armstrong | GBR | 47.10s | | 8. Kyriakos Onissiforou |  GRE | 47.22s |
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| Quarter 5 | time | | 1. Charles Asati | KEN | 46.04s | | 2. Andrzej Badehski | POL | 46.19s | | 3. Georg N¼ckles | FRG | 46.30s | | 4. Claver Kamanya |  TAN | 46.55s | | 5. Mulugetta Tadesse | ETH | 46.85s | | 6. Bjarni Stefansson |  ISL | 46.92s | | 7. Eric Phillips |  VEN | 46.97s | | -. Fernando Acevedo |  PER | DNS |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Andrzej Badehski | POL | 46.21s | | 2. Charles Joseph | TRI | 46.38s | | 3. Mulugetta Tadesse | ETH | 46.38s | | 4. Wickrema Wimaladase | CEY | 46.62s | | 5. Bjarni Stefansson | ISL | 46.76s | | 6. Josip Alebic |  YUG | 47.01s | | 7. Silver Ayoo |  UGA | 47.04s | | 8. Iqbal Nusrat |  PAK | 49.47s |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. David Jenkins | GBR | 46.15s | | 2. Anders Faager | SWE | 46.29s | | 3. Hezahiah Nyamau | KEN | 46.33s | | 4. Omar Ghizlat | MAR | 46.37s | | 5. Bruce Ijirighwo | NGR | 46.59s | | 6. Samuela Yavala |  FIJ | 47.78s | | 7. Theophile Nkounkou |  CGO | 47.86s | | 8. Francisco Menocal |  NCA | 50.95s |
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| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Georg N¼ckles | FRG | 46.64s | | 2. Yoshiharu Tomonaga | JPN | 47.01s | | 3. Francis Kerbiriou | FRA | 47.01s | | 4. Sam Bugri | GHA | 47.83s | | 5. Thomas Nma |  LBR | 49.73s | | 6. Jean-Max Faustin |  HAI | 52.33s | | -. Marcello Fiasconaro |  lTA | DNS | | -. Michael Frederiksson | SWE | DNS |
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| Heat 4 | time | | 1. Alberto Juantorena | CUB | 45.94s | | 2. Wayne Collett | USA | 46.00s | | 3. Claver Kamanya | TAN | 46.18s | | 4. Gilles Bertould | FRA | 46.36s | | 5. Eric Phillips | VEN | 46.74s | | 6. Pedro Ferrer |  PUR | 47.90s | | 7. Nicodemus Maipambe |  ZAM | 48.84s |
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| Heat 5 | time | | 1. Tegegn Bezabeh | ETH | 45.88s | | 2. Vincent Tvlatthews | USA | 45.94s | | 3. Hussein Angelo K Nimir | SUD | 47.01s | | 4. Robert Ojo | NGR | 47.03s | | 5. Fanahan McSweeney |  IRL | 47.07s | | 6. Fernando da Cunha Silva |  POR | 47.67s | | 7. Kassem Hamze |  LIB | 49.20s |
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| Heat 6 | time | | 1. Charles Asati | KEN | 45.16s | | 2. Leighton Priestley | JAM | 45.75s | | 3. Fernando Acevedo | PER | 45.80s | | 4. Jan Werner | POL | 45.93s | | 5. Gary Armstrong | GBR | 46.48s | | 6. Francisco Rojas Soto |  PAR | 47.46s | | 7. Brian MacLaren |  CAN | 47.65s | | -. Casper Springer |  BAR | DNF |
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| Heat 7 | time | | 1. Julius Sang | KEN | 45.24s | | 2. Martin Reynolds | GBR | 46.46s | | 3. Daniel Velasques | FRA | 46.70s | | 4. Karl Honz | FRG | 46.77s | | 5. Franklin Ben Rahming |  BAH | 48.30s | | 6. Ibrahima Idrissou |  DAH | 48.50s | | 7. William Msiska |  MAW | 48.81s |
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| Heat 8 | time | | 1. Horst-R¼diger Schl¶ske | FRG | 45.27s | | 2. John Smith | USA | 46.00s | | 3. Kyriakos Onissiforou | GRE | 46.94s | | 4. Reza Entezari | IRN | 47.89s | | 5. Mohammad S Mobarak |  KUW | 49.61s | | 6. Mohamed Jaman |  ARS | 49.67s | | -. Lucijano Susanj | YUG | DNS |
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| Heat 9 | time | | 1. Markku Kukkoaho | FIN | 46.05s | | 2. Zbigniew Jaremski | POL | 46.20s | | 3. Arthur Cooper | TRI | 47.15s | | 4. Amadou Gakou | SEN | 47.68s | | 5. Thambu Krishnan |  MAL | 48.31s | | 6. Frederique |  MAD | 48.72s | | 7. Chem Savin |  KHM | 48.82s | | -. Jimmy Sierra |  COL | DNS |
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