| 100 Metres |
| Men's 100 Metres | Carl Lewis | M | | USA | 10.07 | Results |
| Women's 100 Metres | Marlies Göhr | F | | GDR | 10.97 | Results |
| 200 Metres |
| Men's 200 Metres | Calvin Smith | M | | USA | 20.14 | Results |
| Women's 200 Metres | Marita Koch | F | | GDR | 22.13 | Results |
| 400 Metres |
| Men's 400 Metres | Bert Cameron | M | | JAM | 45.05 | Results |
| Women's 400 Metres | Jarmila Kratochvílová | F | | TCH | 47.99 | Results |
| 800 Metres |
| Men's 800 Metres | Willi Wülbeck | M | | FRG | 1:43.65 | Results |
| Women's 800 Metres | Jarmila Kratochvílová | F | | TCH | 1:54.68 | Results |
| 1500 Metres |
| Men's 1500 Metres | Steve Cram | M | | GBR | 3:41.59 | Results |
| Women's 1500 Metres | Mary Slaney | F | | USA | 4:00.90 | Results |
| 3000 Metres |
| Women's 3000 Metres | Mary Slaney | F | | USA | 8:34.62 | Results |
| 5000 Metres |
| Men's 5000 Metres | Eamonn Coghlan | M | | IRL | 13:28.53 | Results |
| 10,000 Metres |
| Men's 10,000 Metres | Alberto Cova | M | | ITA | 28:01.04 | Results |
| Marathon |
| Men's Marathon | Robert de Castella | M | | AUS | 2:10:03 | Results |
| Women's Marathon | Grete Waitz | F | | NOR | 2:28:09 | Results |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase |
| Men's 3000 Metres Steeplechase | Patriz Ilg | M | | FRG | 8:15.06 | Results |
| 100 Metres Hurdles |
| Women's 100 Metres Hurdles | Bettine Jahn | F | | GER | 12.35 | Results |
| 110 Metres Hurdles |
| Men's 110 Metres Hurdles | Greg Foster | M | | USA | 13.42 | Results |
| 400 Metres Hurdles |
| Men's 400 Metres Hurdles | Edwin Moses | M | | USA | 47.50 | Results |
| Women's 400 Metres Hurdles | Yekaterina Fesenko-Grun | F | | URS | 54.14 | Results |
| High Jump |
| Men's High Jump | Gennadiy Avdeyenko | M | | UKR | 2.32 | Results |
| Women's High Jump | Tamara Bykova | F | | RUS | 2.01 | Results |
| Pole Vault |
| Men's Pole Vault | Sergey Bubka | M | | UKR | 5.70 | Results |
| Long Jump |
| Men's Long Jump | Carl Lewis | M | | USA | 8.55 | Results |
| Women's Long Jump | Heike Drechsler | F | | GER | 7.27 | Results |
| Triple Jump |
| Men's Triple Jump | Zdzislaw Hoffmann | M | | POL | 17.42 | Results |
| Shot Put |
| Men's Shot Put | Edward Sarul | M | | POL | 21.39 | Results |
| Women's Shot Put | Helena Fibingerová | F | | TCH | 21.05 | Results |
| Discus Throw |
| Men's Discus Throw | Imrich Bugár | M | | CZE | 67.72 | Results |
| Women's Discus Throw | Martina Hellmann | F | | GER | 68.94 | Results |
| Hammer Throw |
| Men's Hammer Throw | Sergey Litvinov | M | | RUS | 82.68 | Results |
| Javelin Throw |
| Men's Javelin Throw | Detlef Michel | M | | GDR | 89.48 | Results |
| Women's Javelin Throw | Tiina Lillak | F | | FIN | 70.82 | Results |
| 20 Kilometres Race Walk |
| Men's 20 Kilometres Race Walk | Ernesto Canto | M | | MEX | 1:20:49 | Results |
| 50 Kilometres Race Walk |
| Men's 50 Kilometres Race Walk | Ronald Weigel | M | | GER | 3:43:08 | Results |
| 4x100 Metres Relay |
| Men's 4x100 Metres Relay | United States | M | | USA | 37.86 | Results |
| Women's 4x100 Metres Relay | German Democratic Republic | F | | GDR | 41.76 | Results |
| 4x400 Metres Relay |
| Men's 4x400 Metres Relay | USSR | M | | URS | 3:00.79 | Results |
| Women's 4x400 Metres Relay | German Democratic Republic | F | | GDR | 3:19.73 | Results |
