| 100m (100m) |
1. | Allan | Wells |  |
Velika Britanija | 10,25 |
| 2. | Silvio | Leonard Sarria |  |
Kuba | 10,25 | |
| 3. | Peter | Petrov |  |
Bugarska | 10,39 | |
| 200m (200m) |
1. | Pietro | Mennea |  |
Italija | 20,19 |
| 2. | Allan | Wells | |
Vellika Britanija | 20,21 | |
| 3. | Donald | Quarrie |  |
Jamajka | 20,29 | |
| 400m (400m) |
1. | Viktor | Markin |  |
SSSR | 44,60 |
| 2. | Richard | Mitchell |  |
Australija | 44,84 | |
| 3. | Frank | Schaffer |  |
DDR | 44,87 | |
| 800m (800m) |
1. | Steve | Ovett | |
Velika Britanija | 1:45,4 |
| 2. | Sebastian | Coe | |
Velika Britanija | 1:45,9 | |
| 3. | Nkolai | Kirov | |
SSSR | 1:46,0 | |
| 1.500m (1.500m) |
1. | Sebastian | Coe | |
Velika Britanija | 3:38,4 |
| 2. | Jürgen | Straub | |
DDR | 3:38,8 | |
| 3. | Steve | Ovett | |
Velika Britanija | 3:39,0 | |
| 5.000m (5.000m) |
1. | Miruts | Yifter |  |
Etiopija | 13:21,0 |
| 2. | Suleiman | Nyambui |  |
Tanzanija | 13:21,6 | |
| 3. | Kaarlo | Maaninka |  |
Finska | 13:22,0 | |
| 10.000m (10.000m) |
1. | Miruts | Yifter | |
Etiopija | 27:42,7 |
| 2. | Kaarlo | Maaninka | |
Finska | 27:44,3 | |
| 3. | Mohammed | Kedir | |
Etiopija | 27:44,7 | |
| marathon (maraton 42.195m) |
1. | Waldemar | Cierpinski | |
DDR | 2;11:03 |
| 2. | Gerhard | Nijboer |  |
Nizozemska | 2;11:20 | |
| 3. | Setymkul | Dhumanazarov | |
SSSR | 2;11:35 | |
| 110m hurdles (110m prepone) | 1. | Thomas | Munkelt | |
DDR | 13,39 |
| 2. | Alejandro | Casanas Ramirez | |
Kuba | 13,40 | |
| 3. | Aleksandr | Puchkov | |
SSSR | 13,44 | |
| 400m hurdles (400m prepone) |
1. | Volker | Beck | |
DDR | 48,70 |
| 2. | Vasili | Arkhipenko | |
SSSR | 48,86 | |
| 3. | Gary | Oakes | |
Velika Britanija | 49,11 | |
| 3.000meters steeplechase (3.000m zapreke) | 1. | Bronislaw | Malinowski |  |
Poljska | 8:09,7 |
| 2. | Fibert | Bayi | |
Tanzanija | 8:12,5 | |
| 3. | Eshetu | Tura | |
Etiopija | 8:13,6 | |
| 20km race walk (hodanje 20km) | 1. | Maurizio | Damilano | |
Italija | 1;23:35 |
| 2. | Piotr | Pochinchuk | |
SSSR | 1;24:45 | |
| 3. | Roland | Wieser | |
DDR | 1;25:58 | |
| 50km
race walk (hodanje 50km) |
1. | Hartwig | Gauder | |
DDR | 3;49:24 |
| 2. | Jorge | Llopart Ribas |  |
Španjolska | 3;51:25 | |
| 3. | Evgeni | Ivchenko | |
SSSR | 3;56:32 | |
| 4x100m
realy (štafeta 4x100m) |
1. | - | - | |
SSSR | 38,26 |
| 2. | - | - | |
Poljska | 38,33 | |
| 3. | - | - |  |
Francuska | 38,53 | |
| 4x400m
realy (štafeta 4x400m) |
1. | - | - | |
SSSR | 3:01,1 |
| 2. | - | - | |
DDR | 3:01,3 | |
| 3. | - | - | |
Italija | 3:04,3 | |
| high
jump (skok u vis) |
1. | Gerd | Wessig | |
DDR | 2,36 |
| 2. | Jacek | Wszola | |
Poljska | 2,31 | |
| 3. | Jörg | Freimuth | |
DDR | 2,31 | |
| long
jump (skok u dalj) |
1. | Lutz | Dombrowski | |
DDR | 8,54 |
| 2. | Frank | Paschek | |
DDR | 8,21 | |
| 3. | Valeri | Podluzhnyi | |
SSSR | 8,18 | |
| triple
jump (troskok) |
1. | Yaak | Uudmae | |
SSSR | 17,35 |
| 2. | Viktor | Saneev | |
SSSR | 17,24 | |
| 3. | Joao Carlos | De Oliveira |  |
Brazil | 17,22 | |
| pole
vault (skok s motk.) |
1. | Wladyslaw | Kozakiewicz | |
Poljska | 5,78 |
| 2. | Konstantin | Volkov | |
SSSR | 5,65 | |
| 2. | Tadeusz | Slusarski | |
Poljska | 5,65 | |
| shot
put (bac. kugle) |
1. | Vladimir | Kiselev | |
SSSR | 21,35 |
| 2. | Aleksandr | Baryshnikov | |
SSSR | 21,08 | |
| 3. | Udo | Beyer | |
DDR | 21,06 | |
| discus
throw (bac. diska) |
1. | Viktor | Rashchupkin | |
SSSR | 66,46 |
| 2. | Imrich | Bugar |  |
Čehoslovačka | 66,38 | |
| 3. | Luis | Delís | |
Kuba | 66,32 | |
| hammer
throw (bac. kladiva) |
1. | Yuri | Sedykh | |
SSSR | 81,80 |
| 2. | Sergei | Litvinov | |
SSSR | 80,64 | |
| 3. | Yuri | Tamm | |
SSSR | 78,96 | |
| javelin
throw (bac. koplja) |
1. | Dainis | Kula | |
SSSR | 91,20 |
| 2. | Aleksandr | Makarov | |
SSSR | 89,64 | |
| 3. | Wolfgang | Hanisch | |
DDR | 86,72 | |
| decathlon (desetoboj) | 1. | Daley | Thompson | |
Velika Britanija | 8.495 |
| 2. | Yuri | Kutsenko | |
SSSR | 8.331 | |
| 3. | Sergei | Zhelanov | |
SSSR | 8.135 |