| Event: | Athletics |
| Games: | 1981 |
| Prev: | 1979 |
| Next: | 1983 |
The athletics competition at the 1981 SEA Games was held from 10 December to 15 December at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines.
| 100 m |  Suchart Jairsuraparp | 10.6 | Sumet Promna | 10.7 |  Tang Ngai Kin | 11.10 | |
| 200 m | Sumet Promna | 21.14 |  Rabuan Pit | 21.22 |  Jeffry Matahelemual | 21.47 | |
| 400 m |  Isidro del Prado | 47.10 | Rabuan Pit | 47.15 | Adaikan Balakrishnan | 47.94 | |
| 800 m | Isidro del Prado | 1:48.79 | Pichai Pew-Kram | 1:49.51 | Pen Kraiket | 1:51.26 | |
| 1500 m | Pichai Pewram | 4:0.24 | Raju Manusammy | 4:04.04 | Mutiah Sivalingam | 4:04.30 | |
| 5000 m |  Aung Soe Khiang | 14:40.8 | David Carmelo | 14:48.09 | Arturo Alimbuyao | 14.53.08 | |
| 10,000 m | David Carmelo | 31:11.77 | Arturo Alimbuyao | 31:11.77 | Michael | 31:49.15 | |
| Marathon | Jimmy De la Torre | 2:25:50 | Michael | 2:26:28 | Ali Sofyan Siregar | 2:28:50 | |
| 110 m hurdles | Hpone Myint | 14.43 | Masharuddin Mohammad Nor | 14.60 | Surapol Sublar | 14.75 | |
| 400 m hurdles | Jaime Grafilo | 52.19 | Nyan Chong Jong | 52.84 | Melly Mofu | 53.40 | |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Maung Hla | 8:56.15 | Aung Soe Khiang | 9:0.35 | Hector Begeo | 9:6.75 | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | Thailand Somsak Boontud Suchart Jairsuraparp Prasit Boon Prasert Sumet Promna | 39.93 | Indonesia Mohammad Hariyanto Suwantoro Yulius Affar Leo Kapissa | 40.54 | Singapore Haron Mundir Tang Ngai Kin Andrew Toh Ganesan Kasee | 41.16 | |
| 4 × 400 m relay | Philippines | 3:10.29 | Malaysia | 3:11.60 | Indonesia | 3:14.30 | |
| 10 km walk | Vellasamy Subramaniam | 46:45.1 | Batumali Kumarasamy | 47:36.4 | Rengasamy Nadarajan | 50.59.3 | |
| 20 km walk | Vellasamy Subramaniam | 1:36:34.5 | Rengasamy Nadarajan | 1:42:54.1 | Phillip Lim | 1:43:57.1 | |
| Pole vault | See Myint Aung | 4.36 m | Thet Tun Kyaw | 3.96 | Manuel del Oro | 3.60 | |
| High jump | Ho Yoon Wah | 2.10 m | Eng Beng Piong | 1.99 | Nor Azhar Hamid | 1.97 | |
| Long jump | Thant Zin | 7.32 m | Roger Dumaguit | 7.14 | Mochammad Mochtar | 7.11 | |
| Triple jump | Yong Tjong Hoo | 15.26 m | Mochammad Mochtar | 15.23 | Felicito Descutido | 15.09 | |
| Shot put | Bancha Supanroj | 15.46 m | Susano Erang | 13.64 | Sumai Chartmontree | 12.92 | |
| Discus throw | Suhadi Musiri | 44.93 m | Ardol Kerdsri | 44.24 | Danilo Jarina | 42.23 | |
| Hammer throw | Budi Dharma | 49.85 m | Samret Singh Dhalival | 47.56 | Danilo Jarina | 46.40 | |
| Javelin throw | Balang Lasung | 68.48 m | Frans Mahuse | 67.00 | Piechi Joedee | 64.88 | |
| Decathlon | Hanapiah Nasir | 6719 pts | Thavorn Phanroeng | 6519 | See Myint Aung | 4333 | |
| 100 m | Mumtaz Jaffar | 11.84 | Henny Maspaitella | 11.90 | Walapa Tangjitsusorn | 12.09 | |
| 200 m | Lydia de Vega | 23.54 | Mumtaz Jaffar | 24.21 | Henny Maspaitella | 24.40 | |
| 400 m | Lydia de Vega | 54.78 | Vengadasalam Angamah | 55.76 | Saik Oik Chum | 56.65 | |
| 800 m | Vengadasalam Angamah | 2:11.18 | Lucena Alam | 2:11.48 | Chongchai Bossi | 2:12.21 | |
| 1500 m | Than Than Lwin | 4:46.54 | Khawja | 4:46.75 | Margarita Tagun | 4:47.75 | |
| 3000 m | Khawja | 9:57.29 | Than Than Lwin | 10:00.42 | Welmintje Sombay | 10:01.16 | |
| 100 m hurdles | Nwee Nwee Yee | 14.35 | Antonio De la Cruz | 14.58 | Lucila Tolentino | 14.64 | |
| 400 m hurdles | Than Than | 1:0.29 | Eklevia Rumayao | 1:03.3 | Nwe Nwe Yee | 1:03.39 | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | Malaysia Zaiton Othman Mumtaz Jaffar Saik Oik Chum Vengadasalam Angamah | 46.62 | Philippines Lydia de Vega Lorena Morcilla Elma Muros Perla Balatucan | 46.84 | Indonesia Vonny Sondakh Henny Maspaitella Yudhikarmani Darmadi Hapsani | 48.00 | |
| 4 × 400 m relay | Malaysia Zaiton Othman Mumtaz Jaffar Saik Oik Chum V. Angamah | 3:41.35 | Philippines Lydia de Vega Lucena Alam Lorena Morcilla Agrippina de la Cruz | 3:49.89 | Indonesia Sukarmiati Eklevina Rumayao Rosalina Erari Jeany Sumampauw | 3:51.86 | |
| 5 km walk | Su Su Yee | 26:54.8 | Paramasavik Sakthirani | 27:40.75 | Margaret Tan | 27:47.7 | |
| 10 km walk | Paramasavik Sakthirani | 55:11.5 | Su Su Yee | 56:20.8 | Margaret Tan | 57:43.1 | |
| High jump | Vannipa Yeepracha | 1.70 m | Zaiton Othman | 1.61 | Yudhikarmani Darmadi | 1.61 | |
| Long jump | San San Aye | 5.93 m | Mra Thuza | 5.86 | Zaiton Othman | 5.70 | |
| Shot put | Jennifer Tinlay | 13.77 m | Mace Siahannenia | 13.64 | Consuelo Lacusong | 12.92 | |
| Discus throw | Jennifer Tinlay | 45.88 m | Dorie Cortejo | 40.69 | Khin Nye | 38.25 | |
| Javelin throw | Erlinda Lavandia | 46.20 m | Norsham Yoon | 45.92 | Billy Silanga | 41.30 | |
| Heptathlon | Zaiton Othman | 5338 pts | Y. Vanipa | 4973 | Nene Gamo | 4302 | |