The men's 3000 metres event at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships was held at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis on 6 and 8 March.
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
Frank O'Mara Ireland
|
Paul Donovan Ireland
|
Terry Brahm United States
|
The first 3 of each heat (Q) and next 4 fastest (q) qualified for the final.[1]
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Frank O'Mara | Ireland |
7:54.07 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Doug Padilla | United States |
7:54.58 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Pascal Thiébaut |  France |
7:54.79 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Julius Kariuki |  Kenya |
7:54.83 | q |
| 5 | 2 | Jacinto Navarrete |  Colombia |
7:55.37 | q, AR |
| 6 | 2 | Uwe Mönkemeyer |  West Germany |
7:55.39 | q, PB |
| 7 | 2 | Mogens Guldberg |  Denmark |
7:56.02 | q |
| 8 | 2 | Mauricio González |  Mexico |
7:56.99 | NR |
| 9 | 1 | Paul Donovan | Ireland |
7:58.05 | Q |
| 10 | 1 | Terry Brahm | United States |
7:58.17 | Q |
| 11 | 1 | Mark Rowland |  Great Britain |
7:58.47 | Q |
| 12 | 1 | Dietmar Millonig |  Austria |
7:58.74 | |
| 13 | 1 | Bruno Levant | France |
7:59.47 | |
| 14 | 1 | Raf Wyns |  Belgium |
8:01.08 | |
| 15 | 2 | Billy Dee | Great Britain |
8:08.98 | |
| 16 | 1 | Carey Nelson |  Canada |
8:11.72 | |
| 17 | 1 | Wilson Waigwa | Kenya |
8:17.23 | |
| 1 | Alessandro Lambruschini |  Italy |
DNF | ||
| 2 | Freddy Báez |  Bolivia |
DNS |
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Frank O'Mara | Ireland |
8:03.32 | CR |
 |
Paul Donovan | Ireland |
8:03.89 | |
 |
Terry Brahm | United States |
8:03.92 | |
| 4 | Mark Rowland | Great Britain |
8:04.27 | |
| 5 | Doug Padilla | United States |
8:05.55 | |
| 6 | Julius Kariuki | Kenya |
8:06.77 | |
| 7 | Pascal Thiébaut | France |
8:08.82 | |
| 8 | Mogens Guldberg | Denmark |
8:10.25 | |
| 9 | Jacinto Navarrete | Colombia |
8:11.89 | |
| 10 | Uwe Mönkemeyer | West Germany |
8:12.41 |
