| Final 19:10 | time | | | 1. Mikhail Zhelev |  BUL | 8:25.0/02 | CR NR | | 2. Aleksandr Morozov |  URS | 8:25.6/57 | | | 3. Vladimiras Dudinas | URS | 8:36.6 | | | 4. Georgi Tikhov | BUL | 8:27.2 | | | 5. Jean-Paul Villain |  FRA | 8:33.4 | | | 6. Arne Risa |  NOR | 8:34.4 | | | 7. Kazimierz Maranda |  POL | 8:34.6 | | | 8. Gerry Stevens |  GBR | 8:36.6 | | | 9. Jean-Pierre Ouine | FRA | 8:39.6 | | | 10.Wolfgang Luers | POL | 8:46.6 | | | 11.Bengt Persson |  SWE | 8:56.1 | | | 12.Hans Menet |  SUI | 9:02.6 | |
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| | | First 6 progress to Final |
| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Vladimiras Dudinas | URS | 8:43.8 | Q | | 2. Arne Risa | NOR | 8:44.0 | Q | | 3. Georgi Tikhov | BUL | 8:44.4 | Q | | 4. Jean-Pierre Ouine | FRA | 8:44.5 | Q | | 5. Wolfgang Luers | POL | 8:45.6 | Q | | 6. Hans Menet | SUI | 8:47.2 | Q | | 7. John Jackson | GBR | 8:48.4 | | | 8. Pavel Sysoyev | URS | 8:54.8 | | | 9. Eddy Van Butsele |  BEL | 9:04.6 | | | 10.Stanisław Śmitkowski | POL | 9:07.4 | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Aleksandr Morozov | URS | 8:44.4 | Q | | 2. Gerry Stevens | GBR | 8:45.4 | Q | | 3. Mikhail Zhelev | BUL | 8:45.6 | Q | | 4. Kazimierz Maranda | POL | 8:48.0 | Q | | 5. Jean-Paul Villain | FRA | 8:50.0 | Q | | 6. Bengt Persson | SWE | 8:51.0 | Q | | 7. Gheorghe Cefan |  ROU | 8:58.2 | | | 8. Toni Feldmann | SUI | 9:01.2 | | | 9. Umberto Risi |  ITA | 9:03.2 | |
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