| POS | Rank | Heat | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | RESULTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | United States |
USA |
38.80 |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | Jamaica |
JAM |
38.88 |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | USSR |
URS |
38.98 |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | Federal Republic Germany |
FRG |
39.10 |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | Hungary |
HUN |
39.11 |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | Cuba |
CUB |
39.44 |
| 7 | 3 | 1 | Japan |
JPN |
39.49 |
| 8 | 3 | 2 | Brazil |
BRA |
39.57 |
| 9 | 4 | 2 | Italy |
ITA |
39.58 |
| 10 | 4 | 1 | PR of China |
CHN |
39.63 |
| 11 | 5 | 2 | Ghana |
GHA |
39.77 |
| 12 | 3 | 3 | Senegal |
SEN |
39.83 |
| 13 | 6 | 2 | Chinese Taipei |
TPE |
40.05 |
| 14 | 4 | 3 | Portugal |
POR |
40.10 |
| 15 | 5 | 1 | Spain |
ESP |
40.20 |
| 16 | 6 | 1 | Uganda |
UGA |
40.22 |
| 3 | Canada |
CAN |
DQ | ||
| 1 | Great Britain & NI |
GBR |
DQ | ||
| 3 | Nigeria |
NGR |
DNS |