| POS | Rank | Heat | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | RESULTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | USSR |
URS |
38.29 |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | United States |
USA |
38.33 |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | Jamaica |
JAM |
38.66 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | Hungary |
HUN |
38.78 |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | Federal Republic Germany |
FRG |
38.84 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | PR of China |
CHN |
39.05 AR |
| 7 | 5 | 2 | Cuba |
CUB |
39.08 |
| 8 | 6 | 2 | Brazil |
BRA |
39.22 |
| 9 | 3 | 1 | Italy |
ITA |
39.52 |
| 10 | 4 | 1 | Japan |
JPN |
39.71 |
| 11 | 5 | 1 | Spain |
ESP |
39.74 |
| 12 | 7 | 2 | Chinese Taipei |
TPE |
39.90 |
| 13 | 6 | 1 | Ghana |
GHA |
39.94 |
| 14 | 7 | 1 | Senegal |
SEN |
40.22 |
| 15 | 8 | 2 | Portugal |
POR |
40.24 |
| 1 | Canada |
CAN |
DQ |