| 1 | Rob Druppers | NED | 1:48,28 | Q |
| 2 | Gert Kilbert | SUI | 1:48,65 | Q |
| 3 | David Sharpe | GBR | 1:48,66 | Q |
| 4 | Joachim Heydgen | FRG | 1:48,76 | |
| 5 | Zoltan Sari | HUN | 1:51,66 | |
| 6 | Tony Ernst | BEL | 1:51,82 |
| 1 | Anthony Morrell | GBR | 1:48,23 | Q |
| 2 | Slobodan Popovic | YUG | 1:48,52 | Q |
| 3 | Ikem Billy | GBR | 1:48,70 | Q |
| 4 | Andrey Sudnik | URS | 1:48,72 | |
| 5 | Coloman Trabado | ESP | 1:49,08 | |
| 6 | Petre Dragoescu | ROM | 1:49,24 |