| POS | Rank | Heat | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | RESULTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 3 | Great Britain & NI |
GBR |
2:59.49 Q |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | United States |
USA |
2:59.55 Q |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | Yugoslavia |
YUG |
2:59.95 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | Jamaica |
JAM |
3:00.01 Q |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | Germany |
GER |
3:00.17 q |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | Kenya |
KEN |
3:00.21 q |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | Japan |
JPN |
3:01.26 AR |
| 8 | 1 | 2 | Morocco |
MAR |
3:02.11 Q |
| 9 | 2 | 2 | Cuba |
CUB |
3:02.29 Q |
| 10 | 4 | 3 | Australia |
AUS |
3:02.42 |
| 11 | 3 | 2 | Italy |
ITA |
3:02.72 |
| 12 | 4 | 2 | Canada |
CAN |
3:03.68 |
| 13 | 5 | 3 | Barbados |
BAR |
3:05.63 |
| 14 | 5 | 1 | Qatar |
QAT |
3:07.06 |
| 15 | 6 | 1 | Spain |
ESP |
3:08.39 |
| 16 | 5 | 2 | Mexico |
MEX |
3:09.56 |
| 2 | France |
FRA |
DNF |