Defending champion Francesco Panetta took the early lead, shadowed by Tom Hanlon. The ever dangerous Kenyan team scattered toward the rear of the pack, but quickly moved forward as a group to join the train behind Hanlon. The first action happened on the third lap when Hagen Melzer and Graeme Fell, found themselves lying on the track after Fell fell over a barrier. Later in the lap, the Kenyans tired of training Hanlon and moved directly behind Panetta. Finally, the fourth time over the water jump, the entire Kenyan team passed Panetta. Over th next lap, Panetta began to fall back, leaving a 5-man break on the front, with Abdelaziz Sahere and Azzedine Brahmi tagging on behind the Kenyans. Behind the group, Panetta, Brian Diemer and Angelo Carosi were chasing trying to bridge the gap. Of the Kenyans, the order was consistently World 1500m Junior ChampionMoses Kiptanui leading Patrick Sang, with Olympic champion Julius Kariuki. On the penultimate lap, the Kenyans appeared to slow, enough for the breakaway group to catch the back temporarily, before the Kenyans again accelerated away. During the acceleration, Kariuki upset the patter by moving up to Kiptanui's shoulder. By the bell, only Brahmi was able to hold on to the back of Sang, the trailing Kenyan as Kariuki spent the next half lap challenging Kiptanui for the lead. Down the backstretch, Brahmi passed Sang before the water jump, but after the water it was again the three Kenyans on the front. As they hit the final straight, Kiptanui held a 2-metre lead over Sang, while Kariuki took the turn wide enough to allow Brahmi to fall in behind Sang, with Kariuki effectively conceding a Kenyan sweep and the bronze medal to him with 80 metres to go. Down the stretch, Sang accelerated enough for Kiptanui to sense his presence, then Kiptanui sped up to take a decisive victory.
