| Event: | Gold: | Time | Silver: | Time | Bronze: | Time | | M1x | {{FRG}}
Peter-Michael Kolbe | 7:45.32 | {{GDR}}
Rüdiger Reiche | 7:48.90 | United States}}
John Biglow | 7:51.55 |
| M2x | {{GDR}}
Klaus Kröppelien (b)
Joachim Dreifke (s) | 6:41.99 | {{FIN}}
Reima Karppinen (b)
Pertti Karppinen (s) | 6:44.06 | {{NOR}}
Rolf Thorsen (b)
Alf Hansen (s) | 6:44.61 |
| M4x | {{GDR}}
Peter Kersten (b)
Karl-Heinz Bußert (2)
Uwe Heppner (3)
Martin Winter (s) | 6:11.37 | {{URS}}
Igor Iarkov (b)
Sergei Shevtchenko (2)
Vladimir Koldishkin (3)
Alecander Sdravomislov (s) | 6:14.58 | {{FRA}}
Denis Gaté (b)
Jean-Raymond Peltier (2)
Charles Imbert (3)
Marc Boudoux (s) | 6:17.45 |
| M2+ | {{ITA}}
Carmine Abbagnale (b)
Giuseppe Abbagnale (s)
Giuseppe Di Capua (c) | 7:43.73 | {{GDR}}
Karsten Schmeling (b)
Jürgen Seyfarth (s)
Hendrik Reiher (c) | 7:46.22 | {{GBR2}}
Thomas Cadoux-Hudson (b)
Richard Budgett (s)
Adrian Ellison (c) | 7:47.03 |
| M2- | {{URS}}
Yuriy Pimenov (b)
Nikolay Pimenov (s) | 7:15.06 | {{NED}}
Willem Jan Atsma (b)
Ted Bosman (s) | 7:20.04 | {{ITA}}
Antonio Baldacci (b)
Ezio Pacovich (s) (s) | 7:23.28 |
| M4+ | {{GDR}}
Dietmar Schiller (b)
Jörg Friedrich (2)
Bernd Niesecke (3)
Harald Jährling (s)
Klaus-Dieter Ludwig (c) | 6:36.88 | United States}}
Andy Sudduth (b)
Thomas Woodman (2)
John Everett (3)
Fred Borchelt (s)
Robert Jaugstetter (c) | 6:39.68 | {{URS}}
Viktor Omeljanovitch (b)
Dimants Krišjānis (2)
Dzintars Krishyanis (3)
Dzorzes Tikmers (s)
Juris Bērziņš (c) | 6:40.52 |
| M4- | {{URS}}
Aleksey Kamkin (b)
Valeriy Dolinin (2)
Aleksandr Kulagin (3)
Vitali Eliseev (s)
| 6:35.85 | {{SUI}}
Bruno Saile (b)
Jürg Weitnauer (2)
Hans-Konrad Trümpler (3)
Stefan Netzle (s)
| 6:41.47 | {{GDR}}
Klaus Büttner (b)
Hans-Peter Koppe (2)
Jens Doberschütz (3)
Uwe Gasch (s)
| 6:43.07 |
| M8+ | {{URS}}
Zigmas Gudauskas (b)
Nikolai Solomakhin (2)
Vladimir Krilov (3)
Viktor Diduk (4)
Stasis Narushaitis (5)
Jonas Narmontas (6)
Jonas Pinskus (7)
Ihar Maystrenka (s)
Vladimir Nizhegorodov (c) | 6:02.30 | {{GBR2}}
Mark Andrews (b)
Christopher Mahoney (2)
Colin Seymour (3)
John Bland (4)
Andrew Justice (5)
John Pritchard (6)
Malcolm McGowan (7)
Richard Stanhope (s)
Colin Moynihan (c) | 6:04.31 | United States}}
Daniel Lyons (b)
John Zevenbergen (2)
Thomas Kiefer (3)
James McDougall (4)
John Phinney (5)
Dave Clark (6)
Charles Clapp (7)
Matthew Labine (s)
Seth Bauer (c) | 6:06.13 |
|
| Lightweight events |
| LM1x | United States}}
Scott Roop | 7:22.90 | {{AUT}}
Raimund Haberl | 7:25.30 | {{CAN}}
Brian Thorne | 7:27.16 |
| LM2x | {{ITA}}
Francesco Esposito (b)
Ruggero Verroca (s) | 6:42.17 | United States}}
Paul Fuchs Jr (b)
William Belden Sr (s) | 6:44.22 | {{DEN}}
Leif Kruse (b)
Bjarne Eltang (s) | 6:48.95 |
| LM4- | {{AUS}}
Graham Gardiner (b)
Charles Bartlett (2)
Clyde Hefer (3)
Simon Gillett (s) | 6:22.32 | {{NED}}
Peter Van Berkel (b)
Richard Helsloot (2)
Willem Appeldoorn (3)
Paul Paulsen (s) | 6:24.04 | {{CAN}}
Timothy Turner (b)
Edward Gibson (2)
Jim Relle (3)
Patrick Turner (s) | 6:26.60 |
| LM8+ | {{DEN}}
Torben Knudsen
Jan Jensen
Ivar Mølgaard
Arne Højlund
Søren Hansson
Søren Eriksen
Mikael Espersen
Bent Fransson
Peter Klug-Andersen (c) | 5:58.41 | {{ITA}}
Franco Pantano
Mauro Torta
Romano Uberti
Lauro Zettin
Renzo Borsini
Lanfranco Borsini
Claudio Castiglioni
Leonardo Salani
Davide Lanza (c) | 5:59.05 | {{ESP}}
Fernando Climent
Luis Arteaga Leon
Carlos Sáez Bernardos
José Antonio Expósito Sánchez
Francisco Goicoechea García
Guillermo Müller Gascón
Alberto Molina Castillo
José Marti Miranda
Fernando Macho (c) | 6:01.03 |
| Event: | Gold: | Time | Silver: | Time | Bronze: | Time | | W1x | {{ROM}}
Sanda Toma | 3:54.46 | {{GBR2}}
Beryl Mitchell | 3:55.58 | {{URS}}
Irina Fetisova | 3:56.99 |
| W2x | {{URS}}
Margerita Kokarevitch
Antonina Zelikovich | 3:40.65 | {{GDR}}
Kerstin Kirst
Jutta Hampe | 3:30.11 | {{BUL}}
Iskra Velinova
Anka Bakova | 3:30.21 |
| W4x+ | {{URS}}
Tatyana Danilova
Olga Kaspina
Yelena Khloptseva
Larisa Popova
Maria Zemskova-Korotkova (c) | 3:19.83 | {{GDR}}
Heidi Westphal
Birka Brandt-Fengler
Cornelia Linse
Jutta Ploch
Jenny Gerber (c) | 3:21.65 | {{ROM}}
Aneta Mihaly
Valeria Răcilă
Sofia Corban
Olga Homeghi
Ecaterina Oancia (c) | 3:22.89 |
| W2-[2] | {{GDR}}
Iris Rudolph
Sigrid Anders | 3:45.50 | {{CAN}}
Elizabeth Craig
Tricia Smith | 3:45.77 | {{ROM}}
Rodica Arba
Elena Horvat | 3:50.45 |
| W4+ | {{URS}}
Olga Pivovarova
Marina Studneva
Svetlana Semyonova
Raisa Doligoiada
Nina Cheremisina (c) | 3:18.75 | {{GDR}}
Viola Kestler
Silvia Fröhlich-Arndt
Marita Sandig-Gasch
Romy Saalfeld
Kirsten Wenzel (c) | 3:23.95 | {{USA}}
Susan Tuttle
Hope Barnes
Shyril O’Steen
Harriet Metcalf
Nanette Bernadou (c) | 3:27.35 |
| W8+ | {{URS}}
Regina Baltutite
Irina Teterina
Elena Tereshina
Nataliya Yatsenko
Elena Makushkina
Tatyana Shvetsova
Nina Umanets
Maria Paziun
Nina Frolova (c) | 3:07.58 | {{USA}}
Carol Bower
Carol Brown
Jeanne Flanagan
Patricia Spratlin
Kristine Norelius
Carie Graves
Elizabeth Hills-O’Leary
Liz Miles
Valerie McClain-Ward (c) | 3:10.32 | {{ROM}}
Rodica Frîntu
Florica Bucur
Luminata Furcila
Maricica Țăran
Cristina Onofrei
Maria Naghiu
Mariana Zaharia
Elena Bondar
Elena Dobrițoiu (c) | 3:14.05 |
|
1. ^{{cite web |title=1981 World Championships – Münich Oberschleißheim, Germany|author=FISA – The Official World Rowing Database|url=http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1981-world-championships/}}
2. ^{{cite web |title=(W2-) Women's Pair – Final |url=http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1981-world-championships/womens-pair/final/ |publisher=International Rowing Federation |accessdate=26 November 2016}}
{{World Rowing Championships}}