Heat 1 19:40 | time | 1. Hicham El Guerrouj | MAR | 3:37.86 | 2. Rui Silva | POR | 3:37.98 | 3. Álvaro Fernández | ESP | 3:38.34 | 4. Kamal Boulahfane | ALG | 3:38.59 | 5. Isaac Kiprono Songok | KEN | 3:38.89 | 6. Kevin Sullivan | CAN | 3:39.30 | 7. Michal Sneberger | CZE | 3:39.68 | 8. James Nolan | IRL | 3:41.14 | 9. Wolfram Müller | GER | 3:46.75 | 10.Mounir Yemmouni | FRA | 3:51.08 | 11.Grant Robison | USA | 3:53.66 | 12.Roberto Caraciolo Mandje | GEQ | 4:03.37 | -. Peter Roko Ashak | SUD | DNS |
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Heat 2 19:48 | time | 1. Reyes Estévez | ESP | 3:39.71 | 2. Bernard Lagat | KEN | 3:39.80 | 3. Nicholas Willis | NZL | 3:39.80 | 4. Adil Kaouch | MAR | 3:39.88 | 5. Mulugeta Wendimu | ETH | 3:39.96 | 6. Gert-Jan Liefers | NED | 3:40.10 | 7. Hudson de Souza | BRA | 3:40.78 | 8. Johan Cronje | RSA | 3:40.99 | 9. Alan Webb | USA | 3:41.25 | 10.Aleksandr Krivchonkov | RUS | 3:41.37 | 11.Abdulrahman Suleiman | QAT | 3:42.00 | 12.Mohamed Khaldi | ALG | 3:42.47 | 13.Mehdi Baala | FRA | 3:46.06 |
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Heat 3 19:56 | time | 1. Michael East | GBR | 3:37.37 | 2. Timothy Kiptanui | KEN | 3:37.71 | 3. Ivan Heshko | UKR | 3:37.78 | 4. Rashid Ramzi | BRN | 3:37.93 | 5. Tarek Boukensa | ALG | 3:37.94 | 6. Juan Carlos Higuero | ESP | 3:38.36 | 7. Youssef Baba | MAR | 3:38.71 | 8. Manuel Damiăo | POR | 3:39.94 | 9. Charlie Gruber | USA | 3:41.73 | 10.Branko Zorko | CRO | 3:48.28 | 11.Zhaobo Dou | CHN | 3:50.28 | 12.Neil Weare | GUM | 4:05.86 | 13.Jimmy Anak Ahar | BRU | 4:14.11 | -. Samwel Mwera | TAN | DNS |
| Venue: Athens Olympic Stadium, Marousi. Capp.: 72,000. | Quota: -- competitors from -- nations. |
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