| POS | Rank | Heat | BIB | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | RESULTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | USA | United States |
USA |
2:58.13 Q WL |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | TTO | Trinidad and Tobago |
TTO |
2:58.67 Q SB |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | JAM | Jamaica |
JAM |
2:58.69 Q SB |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | GBR | Great Britain & NI |
GBR |
2:59.05 Q SB |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | BEL | Belgium |
BEL |
2:59.28 Q NR |
| 6 | 3 | 1 | FRA | France |
FRA |
2:59.42 Q SB |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | RUS | Russia |
RUS |
2:59.45 q SB |
| 8 | 4 | 2 | CUB | Cuba |
CUB |
2:59.80 q SB |
| 9 | 5 | 2 | BOT | Botswana |
BOT |
2:59.95 NR |
| 10 | 6 | 2 | DOM | Dominican Republic |
DOM |
3:00.15 NR |
| 11 | 5 | 1 | POL | Poland |
POL |
3:00.72 SB |
| 12 | 7 | 2 | BRA | Brazil |
BRA |
3:01.05 |
| 13 | 8 | 2 | IRL | Ireland |
IRL |
3:01.26 NR |
| 14 | 6 | 1 | VEN | Venezuela |
VEN |
3:02.96 SB |
| 15 | 7 | 1 | JPN | Japan |
JPN |
3:02.97 SB |
| 1 | BAH | Bahamas |
BAH |
DQ R163.3(a) |