| 1 | Thomas Wessinghage | FRG | 3:44,9 | Q |
| 2 | Gheorghe Ghipu | ROM | 3:45,1 | Q |
| 3 | Amatoliy Mamontov | URS | 3:45,7 | Q |
| 4 | Herman Mignon | BEL | 3:45,8 | Q |
| 5 | Vladimir Kanev | BUL | 3:46,1 | |
| 6 | Eugeniusz Frackowiak | POL | 3:46,3 |
| 1 | Paul-Heinz Wellmann | FRG | 3:48,3 | Q |
| 2 | Berhard Helm | FRG | 3:48,7 | Q |
| 3 | Glen Grant | GBR | 3:48,9 | Q |
| 4 | Daniel Janczuk | POL | 3:49,1 | Q |
| 5 | Åke Svensson | SWE | 3:49,8 | |
| 6 | Fotios Kourtis | GRE | 3:49,9 |