The 25 competitors first raced in three heats. The top finisher in each heat moved directly to the final, and the next six finishers in each heat moved to the semifinals. The heats were raced on August 23.
Tim Brabants' time of 3:24.412 was the World's fastest until 2011.
The top three finishers in each of the two semifinals qualified for the final. Fourth place and higher competitors were eliminated. The semifinals were raced on August 25.