| POS | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | MARK | Reaction Time | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |  USA | 2:59.98 Q | |
| 2 | Belgium |  BEL | 3:00.67 Q NR | |
| 3 | Australia |  AUS | 3:00.68 q SB | |
| 4 | Poland |  POL | 3:00.74 q SB | |
| 5 | South Africa |  RSA | 3:01.26 SB | |
| 6 | Cuba |  CUB | 3:02.24 | |
| 7 | France |  FRA | 3:03.19 | |
| Russia |  RUS | DQ | 
| POS | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | MARK | Reaction Time | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain & N.I. |  GBR | 2:59.33 Q SB | |
| 2 | Bahamas |  BAH | 2:59.88 Q SB | |
| 3 | Jamaica |  JAM | 3:00.09 Q SB | |
| 4 | Germany |  GER | 3:03.49 | |
| 5 | Trinidad and Tobago |  TTO | 3:04.12 =SB | |
| 6 | Japan |  JPN | 3:04.18 SB | |
| 7 | Greece |  GRE | 3:04.30 SB | |
| 8 | Dominican Republic |  DOM | 3:04.31 SB |