Themen's 1500 metres event at the1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships was held on March 6–7.
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
Haile Gebrselassie Ethiopia | Laban Rotich Kenya | Andres Diaz Spain |
First 3 of each heat (Q) and next 3 fastest (q) qualified for the final.
| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia | 3:41.22 | Q |
| 2 | 2 | Rui Silva |  Portugal | 3:41.30 | Q |
| 3 | 2 | Laban Rotich | Kenya | 3:41.32 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Eddie King |  Great Britain | 3:41.92 | q |
| 5 | 1 | Ali Hakimi |  Tunisia | 3:42.46 | Q |
| 6 | 1 | Adil Kaouch |  Morocco | 3:42.53 | Q |
| 6 | 2 | Richard Boulet |  United States | 3:42.53 | q |
| 8 | 1 | William Tanui | Kenya | 3:42.54 | Q |
| 9 | 1 | Andres Diaz | Spain | 3:42.58 | q |
| 10 | 1 | Dirk Heinze |  Germany | 3:42.80 | |
| 11 | 1 | Hamish Christensen |  New Zealand | 3:42.80 | |
| 12 | 2 | Andrey Zadorozhniy |  Russia | 3:43.04 | |
| 13 | 1 | David Krummenacker | United States | 3:44.29 | |
| 14 | 2 | José Antonio Redolat | Spain | 3:45.52 | |
| 15 | 1 | Sheldon Monderoy |  Trinidad and Tobago | 3:47.36 | |
| 16 | 2 | Kiyoharu Sato |  Japan | 3:49.26 | |
| 17 | 2 | Alexis Sharangabo |  Rwanda | 3:49.81 | |
| 18 | 2 | Chipako Chungu |  Zambia | 3:53.46 | |
| 2 | Sampa Dendup |  Bhutan | DNF | ||
| 1 | Ali Saïdi-Sief |  Algeria | DNS | ||
| 1 | Farhad Heidari |  Iran | DNS |
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia | 3:33.77 | CR |
 | Laban Rotich | Kenya | 3:33.98 | |
 | Andres Diaz | Spain | 3:34.46 | |
| 4 | William Tanui | Kenya | 3:34.77 | PB |
| 5 | Rui Silva | Portugal | 3:34.99 | NR |
| 6 | Ali Hakimi | Tunisia | 3:37.88 | SB |
| 7 | Adil Kaouch | Morocco | 3:38.48 | PB |
| 8 | Richard Boulet | United States | 3:39.93 | |
| 9 | Eddie King | Great Britain | 3:46.59 |
