| Track Events - MEN |
| Event | Gold | Time | Silver | Time | Bronze | Time |
| 100 metres | Carl Lewis
USA | 9.99s | Sam Graddy
USA | 10.19s | Ben Johnson
Canada | 10.22s |
| 200 metres | Carl Lewis
USA | 19.80s | Kirk Baptiste
USA | 19.96s | Thomas Jefferson
USA | 20.26s |
| 400 metres | Alonzo Babers
USA | 44.27s | Gabriel Tiacoh
Ivory Coast | 44.54s | Antonio McKay
USA | 44.71s |
| 800 metres | Joaquim Cruz
Brazil | 1m 43.00s | Sebastian Coe
GB | 1m 43.64s | Earl Jones
USA | 1m 43.83s |
| 1500 metres | Sebastian Coe
GB | 3m 32.53s | Steve Cram
GB | 3m 33.40s | Jose Abascal Gomez
Spain | 3m 34.30s |
| 5000 metres | Said Aouita
Morocco | 13m 5.59s | Markus Ryffel
Switzerland | 13m 7.54s | Antonio Leitao
Portugal | 13m 9.20s |
| 10000 metres | Alberto Cova
Italy | 27m 47.54s | Mike McLeod
GB | 28m 6.22s | Mike Musyoki
Kenya | 28m 6.46s |
Marathon
(42,195 m) | Carlos Lopes
Portugal | 2h 9m 21s | John Treacy
Ireland | 2h 9m 56s | Charles Spedding
GB | 2h 9m 58s |
Steeplechase
(3000 metres) | Julius Korir
Kenya | 8m 11.80s | Joseph Mahmoud
France | 8m 13.31s | Brian Diemer
USA | 8m 14.06s |
| Field Events - MEN |
| | | Ht/Dist | | Ht/Dist | | Ht/Dist |
| High Jump | Dietmar Mogenburg
Germany | 2.35 m | Patrik Sjoberg
Sweden | 2.33 m | Zhu Jianhua
China | 2.31 m |
| Long Jump | Carl Lewis
USA | 8.54 m | Gary Honey
Australia | 8.24 m | Giovanni Evangelisti
Italy | 8.24 m |
| Pole Vault | Pierre Quinon
France | 5.75 m | Mike Tully
USA | 5.65 m | Earl Bell
USA | 5.60 m |
| Shot | Alessandro Andrei
Italy | 21.26 m | Michael Carter
USA | 21.09 m | Dave Laut
USA | 20.97 m |
| Discus | Rolf Danneberg
Germany | 66.60 m | Mac Wilkins
USA | 66.30 m | John Powell
USA | 65.46 m |
| Javelin | Arto Harkonen
Finland | 86.76 m | David Ottley
GB | 85.74 m | Kenth Eldebrink
Sweden | 83.72 m |
| Track Events - WOMEN |
| Event | Gold | Time | Silver | Time | Bronze | Time |
| 100 metres | Evelyn Ashford
USA | 10.97s | Alice Brown
USA | 11.13s | Merlene Ottey-Page
Jamaica | 11.16s |
| 200 metres | Valerie Brisco-Hooks
USA | 21.81s | Florence Griffith
USA | 22.04s | Merlene Ottey-Page
Jamaica | 22.09s |
| 400 metres | Valerie Brisco-Hooks
USA | 48.83s | Chandra Cheeseborough
USA | 49.05s | Kathy Cook
GB | 49.42s |
| 800 metres | Doina Melinte
Romania | 1m 57.60s | Kim Gallagher
USA | 1m 58.63s | Fita Lovin
Romania | 1m 58.83s |
| 1500 metres | Gabriella Dorio
Italy | 4m 3.25s | Doina Melinte
Romania | 4m 3.76s | Maricica Puica
Romania | 4m 4.15s |
| 3000 metres | Maricica Puica
Romania | 8m 35.96s | Wendy Sly
GB | 8m 39.47s | Lynn Williams
Canada | 8m 42.14s |
| 10000 metres | NOT held |
| Marathon | Joan Benoit
USA | 2h 24m 52s | Grete Waitz
Norway | 2h 26m 18s | Rosa Mota
Portugal | 2h 26m 57s |
| Field Events - WOMEN |
| | | Ht/Dist | | Ht/Dist | | Ht/Dist |
| High Jump | Ulrike Meyfarth
Germany | 2.02 m | Sara Simeoni
Italy | 2.00 m | Joni Huntley
USA | 1.97 m |
| Long Jump | Anisoara Stanciu
Romania | 6.96 m | Valeri Ionescu
Romania | 6.81 m | Susan Hearnshaw
GB | 6.80 m |
| Shot | Claudia Losch
Germany | 20.48 m | Mihaela Loghin
Romania | 20.47 m | Gael Martin
Australia | 19.19 m |
| Discus | Ria Stalman
Netherlands | 65.36 m | Leslie Deniz
USA | 64.86 m | Florenta Craciunescu
Romania | 63.64 m |
| Javelin | Tessa Sanderson
GB | 69.56 m | Tina Lillak
Finland | 69.00 m | Fatima Whitbread
GB | 67.14 m |