| POS | Rank | Heat | BIB | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | RESULTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Botswana |
BOT |
2:57.76 Q SB | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | Great Britain & NI |
GBR |
2:58.88 Q SB | |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | United States |
USA |
2:59.15 Q | |
| 4 | 4 | 1 | Japan |
JPN |
2:59.48 q NR | |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | France |
FRA |
2:59.53 Q SB | |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | Belgium |
BEL |
2:59.84 Q =SB | |
| 7 | 5 | 1 | Zambia |
ZAM |
3:00.08 q | |
| 8 | 3 | 2 | Italy |
ITA |
3:00.26 Q SB | |
| 9 | 6 | 1 | Germany |
GER |
3:00.29 SB | |
| 10 | 4 | 2 | India |
IND |
3:00.58 SB | |
| 11 | 5 | 2 | Brazil |
BRA |
3:00.95 SB | |
| 12 | 7 | 1 | Poland |
POL |
3:01.21 SB | |
| 13 | 6 | 2 | Spain |
ESP |
3:01.60 | |
| 14 | 7 | 2 | South Africa |
RSA |
3:03.19 qR | |
| 15 | 8 | 1 | Trinidad and Tobago |
TTO |
3:06.73 | |
| 2 | Nigeria |
NGR |
DQ |