Note: * Indicates athletes who ran in preliminary rounds.
Existing records at the start of the event.
All times shown are in seconds.
AR area record | CR championship record | GR games record | NR national record | OR Olympic record | PB personal best | SB season best | WL world leading (in a given season)
|
DNS = did not start | DQ = disqualification | NM = no mark (i.e. no valid result) | Q = qualification by place in heat | q = qualification by overall place
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Name
|
Result
|
Notes
|
|
United States
|
Danny Everett, Roddie Haley, Antonio McKay, Butch Reynolds
|
2:57.29
|
CR
|
|
Great Britain
|
Derek Redmond, Kriss Akabusi, Roger Black, Philip Brown)
|
2:58.86
|
AR
|
|
Cuba
|
Leandro Peñalver, Agustin Pavó, Lázaro Martínez, Roberto Hernández
|
2:59.16
|
NR
|
4
|
West Germany
|
Norbert Dobeleit, Mark Henrich, Edgar Itt, Harald Schmid
|
2:59.96
|
NR
|
5
|
Kenya
|
Joseph Sainah, John Anzrah, Elijah Bitok, David Kitur
|
3:01.67
|
|
6
|
Jamaica
|
Mark Senior, Devon Morris, Winthrop Graham, Bert Cameron
|
3:04.53
|
|
**
|
Soviet Union
|
Yevgeniy Lomtyev, Vladimir Prosin, Aleksandr Kurochkin, Vladimir Krylov
|
DNF
|
|
**
|
Nigeria
|
Moses Ugbisie, Joseph Falaye, Henry Amike, Innocent Egbunike
|
DNS
|
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Name
|
Result
|
Notes
|
1
|
Cuba
|
Leandro Peñalver, Agustin Pavó, Lázaro Martínez, Roberto Hernández
|
3:00.99
|
Q
|
2
|
Great Britain
|
Mark Thomas, Kriss Akabusi, Todd Bennett, Philip Brown
|
3:01.47
|
Q
|
3
|
Soviet Union
|
Arkadiy Kornilov, Yevgeniy Lomtyev, Vladimir Prosin, Aleksandr Kurochkin
|
3:01.61
|
Q
|
4
|
Nigeria
|
Moses Ugbisie, Joseph Falaye, Henry Amike, Innocent Egbunike
|
3:01.92
|
Q
|
5
|
Canada
|
Andre Smith, Courtney Brown, John Graham, Anton Skerritt
|
3:02.90
|
|
6
|
France
|
Aldo Canti, Jean-Jacques Boussemart, Patrick Barré, Yann Quentrec
|
3:03.41
|
|
7
|
Japan
|
Koichi Konakatomi, Kenji Yamauchi, Hiromi Kawasumi, Susumu Takano
|
3:04.86
|
|
8
|
Spain
|
Cayetano Cornet, Antonio Sánchez, José Alonso, Angel Heras
|
3:06.41
|
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Name
|
Result
|
Notes
|
1
|
United States
|
Danny Everett, Michael Franks, Raymond Pierre, Antonio McKay
|
2:59.06
|
CR Q
|
2
|
Kenya
|
Joseph Sainah, Elijah Bitok, David Kitur, John Anzrah
|
3:00.73
|
Q
|
3
|
Jamaica
|
Mark Senior, Devon Morris, Winthrop Graham, Bert Cameron
|
3:01.08
|
NR Q
|
4
|
West Germany
|
Peter Schwelm, Edgar Itt, Klaus Just, Mark Henrich
|
3:01.18
|
Q
|
5
|
Yugoslavia
|
Branislav Karaulić, Slobodan Popović, Slobodan Branković, Ismail Mačev
|
3:03.30
|
NR
|
6
|
Italy
|
Marcello Pantone, Vito Petrella, Tiziano Gemelli, Roberto Ribaud
|
3:03.91
|
7
|
Australia
|
Robert Stone, Gary Minihan, Peter Stubbs, Darren Clark
|
3:04.59
|
|
**
|
East Germany
|
Jens Carlowitz, Frank Möller, Mathias Schersing, Thomas Schönlebe
|
DNF
|
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Name
|
Result
|
Notes
|
1
|
United States
|
Danny Everett, Michael Franks, Raymond Pierre, Antonio McKay
|
3:03.00
|
Q
|
2
|
East Germany
|
Mathias Schersing, Michael Schimmer, Jens Carlowitz, Thomas Schönlebe
|
3:03.57
|
Q
|
3
|
Yugoslavia
|
Branislav Karaulić, Slobodan Popović, Slobodan Branković, Ismail Mačev
|
3:03.89
|
Q
|
4
|
Nigeria
|
Moses Ugbisie, Joseph Falaye, Henry Amike, Innocent Egbunike
|
3:03.90
|
Q
|
5
|
Canada
|
Andre Smith, Courtney Brown, John Graham, Anton Skerritt
|
3:04.08
|
q
|
6
|
Spain
|
Cayetano Cornet, Antonio Sánchez, José Alonso, Angel Heras
|
3:05.02
|
q
|
7
|
Ivory Coast
|
Akissi Kpidi, Zongo Kuyo, Djedjemel Anatole, René Mélédjé
|
3:05.34
|
|
8
|
Ireland
|
Kieran Finn, Gerry Delaney, John Barry, Peter Sinclair
|
3:07.18
|
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Name
|
Result
|
Notes
|
1
|
Kenya
|
Joseph Sainah, Elijah Bitok, Tito Sawe, John Anzrah
|
3:02.32
|
Q
|
2
|
Cuba
|
Leandro Peñalver, Agustin Pavó, Lázaro Martínez, Roberto Hernández
|
3:02.62
|
Q
|
3
|
Soviet Union
|
Arkadiy Kornilov, Yevgeniy Lomtyev, Vladimir Prosin, Aleksandr Kurochkin
|
3:02.79
|
Q
|
4
|
Jamaica
|
Mark Senior, Devon Morris, Winthrop Graham, Bert Cameron
|
3:05.11
|
Q
|
5
|
Czechoslovakia
|
Jindrich Roun, Stanislav Navesnak, Jozef Kucej, Lubos Balosak
|
3:05.44
|
|
6
|
Brazil
|
Washington Rodrigues, Sérgio Menezes, Gerson A. Souza, José Luíz Barbosa
|
3:05.64
|
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Name
|
Result
|
Notes
|
1
|
Great Britain
|
Mark Thomas, Kriss Akabusi, Todd Bennett, Philip Brown
|
3:03.75
|
Q
|
2
|
Japan
|
Koichi Konakatomi, Kenji Yamauchi, Hiromi Kawasumi, Susumu Takano
|
3:03.86
|
Q
|
3
|
West Germany
|
Peter Schwelm, Mark Henrich, Klaus Just, Edgar Itt
|
3:03.87
|
Q
|
4
|
Australia
|
Robert Stone, Gary Minihan, Peter Stubbs, Darren Clark
|
3:04.22
|
Q
|
5
|
Italy
|
Marcello Pantone, Vito Petrella, Andrea Montanari, Roberto Ribaud
|
3:04.64
|
q
|
6
|
France
|
Aldo Canti, Jean-Jacques Boussemart, Patrick Barré, Yann Quentrec
|
3:04.64
|
q
|
7
|
Chinese Taipei
|
Lin Kuang-liang, Hsu Ruo-ta, Lee Shiun-long, Lin Tsai-tien
|
3:11.45
|
|