| 1985 South American Championships in Athletics | |
| Host City: | Santiago, Chile |
| Nations Participating: | 11 |
| Athletes Participating: | 252 |
| Dates: | 12–15 September |
| Stadium: | Estadio Nacional |
| Previous: | Santa Fe 1983 |
| Next: | São Paulo 1987 |
The 33rd South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile, between 12 and 15 September.
It was the first edition to feature women's 10,000 metres event.
| 100 metres (wind: -1.0 m/s) | Arnaldo da Silva | 10.39 | Robson da Silva | 10.45 | Enrique Canavire | 10.69 | |
| 200 metres (wind: -0.5 m/s) | Robson da Silva | 20.70 | Oscar Barrionuevo | 21.42 | Sérgio Menezes | 21.47 | |
| 400 metres | Héctor Daley | 46.06 | Sérgio Menezes | 46.53 | Aaron Phillips | 46.66 | |
| 800 metres | Luis Migueles | 1:46.90 | Igor Costa | 1:47.61 | Rinaldo Gomes | 1:49.35 | |
| 1500 metres | Adauto Domingues | 3:42.16 | Emilio Ulloa | 3:43.63 | Ricardo Vera | 3:46.87 | |
| 5000 metres | Omar Aguilar | 13:53.69 | Silvio Salazar | 14:03.18 | João de Souza | 14:09.43 | |
| 10,000 metres | Omar Aguilar | 28:39.90 | João de Souza | 29:02.34 | Silvio Salazar | 29:03.34 | |
| Marathon | Elói Schleder | 2:22:13 | José San Martín | 2:24:10 | Mauricio Arancibia | 2:26:41 | |
| 110 metres hurdles (wind: -0.1 m/s) | Pedro Chiamulera | 13.87 | Joilto Bonfim | 14.21 | George Biehl | 14.40 | |
| 400 metres hurdles | Pedro Chiamulera | 49.71 | Antônio Dias Ferreira | 50.36 | Wilfredo Ferrer | 51.36 | |
| 3000 metres steeplechase | Adauto Domingues | 8:44.38 | Ricardo Vera | 8:44.85 | Emilio Ulloa | 8:45.27 | |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Olivier Cadier Arnaldo da Silva Paulo Lima Robson da Silva | 40.00 | Boris Mihovilovic Luis Sáez Carlos Moreno Álvaro Prenafeta | 40.69 | Wilfredo Ferrer Enrique Canavire José Mirena Nelson Oquendo | 40.87 | |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Igor Costa Pedro Chiamulera Wilson dos Santos Sérgio Menezes | 3:07.96 | Gustavo Capart Luis Migueles Oscar Barrionuevo José María Beduino | 3:10.21 | José Castillo Wilfredo Ferrer Miguel Marcano Aaron Phillips | 3:11.29 | |
| 20 kilometres road walk | Jorge Yannone | 1:39:04 | Juan Yanes | 1:42:23 | Jorge Torrealba | 1:45:41 | |
| High jump | Milton Riitano Francisco | 2.17 | Fernando Pastoriza | 2.11 | Cláudio Freire | 2.08 | |
| Pole vault | Oscar Veit | 4.90 = | Jaime Silva | 4.80 | Elson de Souza | 4.80 | |
| Long jump | Enrique Canavire | 7.54 | Olivier Cadier | 7.46 | Sergio Roh | 7.20 | |
| Triple jump | Francisco dos Santos | 16.87 | Jailto Bonfim | 16.06 | Roberto Audain | 15.62 | |
| Shot put | Gert Weil | 20.14 | Adilson Oliveira | 17.13 | José Jara | 16.20 | |
| Discus throw | José de Souza | 53.10 | Carlos Brynner | 51.60 | Otmar Welsch | 50.92 | |
| Hammer throw | Daniel Gómez | 60.26 | Celso de Moraes | 60.20 | Pedro Rivail Atílio | 60.04 | |
| Javelin throw | Juan Garmendia | 75.10 | Luis Lucumí | 70.64 | Gustavo Wielandt | 70.30 | |
| Decathlon | Paulo Lima | 7341 | Carlos Martín | 6770 | Claudio Escauriza | 6599 |
| 100 metres (wind: -0.6 m/s) | Patricia Pérez | 11.78 | Claudiléia dos Santos | 12.02 | Daisy Salas | 12.11 | |
| 200 metres (wind: +0.4 m/s) | Claudiléia dos Santos | 23.99 | Patricia Pérez | 24.13 | Liliana Chalá | 24.26 | |
| 400 metres | Norfalia Carabalí | 53.25 | Elba Barbosa | 54.36 | Margarita Grün | 54.39 | |
| 800 metres | Alejandra Ramos | 2:03.54 | Soraya Telles | 2:06.30 | Elba Barbosa | 2:09.21 | |
| 1500 metres | Alejandra Ramos | 4:20.16 | Monica Regonesi | 4:22.45 | Fabiola Rueda | 4:22.63 | |
| 3000 metres | Monica Regonesi | 9:29.67 | Carmem de Oliveira | 9:30.37 | Fabiola Rueda | 9:31.10 | |
| 10,000 metres | Monica Regonesi | 34:31.37 | Carmem de Oliveira | 34:47.02 | Margot Vargas | 36:16.80 | |
| 100 metres hurdles (wind: +0.5 m/s) | Beatriz Capotosto | 13.87 | Susana Jenkins | 13.94 | Juraciara da Silva | 13.97 | |
| 400 metres hurdles | Maria do Carmo Fialho | 59.45 | Cornelia Holzinger | 60.28 | Claudia Oxman | 61.42 | |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Daisy Salas Flavia Villar Michelle Camino Patricia Pérez | 45.80 | Inês Ribeiro Bárbara do Nascimento Claudiléia dos Santos Juraciara da Silva | 46.09 | Julia Schuth Graciela Palacín Susana Jenkins Beatriz Capotosto | 46.80 | |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Soraya Telles Elba Barbosa Cornelia Holzinguer Maria do Carmo Fialho | 3:39.77 | Margarita Grün Carmen Mosegui Claudia Acerenza Soledad Acerenza | 3:41.49 | Flavia Villar Ismenia Guzmán Ximena Carvajal Alejandra Ramos | 3:43.85 | |
| High jump | Ana Maria Marcon | 1.88 | Carmen Garib | 1.76 | Conceição Geremias | 1.73 | |
| Long jump | Conceição Geremias | 6.04 | Silvia Murialdo | 5.81 | Graciela Acosta | 5.81 | |
| Shot put | Maria Fernandes | 14.89 | Jazmín Cirio | 14.50 | Marinalva dos Santos | 14.44 | |
| Discus throw | Márcia Barbosa | 46.16 | Marinalva dos Santos | 43.50 | Daphne Birnios | 42.20 | |
| Javelin throw | Mônica Rocha | 52.08 | Sueli dos Santos | 51.52 | Patricia Guerrero | 45.38 | |
| Heptathlon | Ana María Comaschi | 4866 | Nancy Vallecilla | 4865 | Rita Geremias | 4710 |