BBC reportsKenya's David Rudisha broke the men's 800m world record in a time of one minute 41.09 seconds at an IAAF World Challenge meeting in Berlin on Sunday.
The previous record of 1:41.11 was set by Denmark's Kenyan-born Wilson Kipketer in Cologne in 1997.
With the help of a pacesetter, Rudisha hit the 400m mark in 48.65sec and he maintained his pace to the line to better Kipketer's mark.
"I have the ability to improve and go faster," said the 21-year-old.
Rudisha only managed to reach the semi-finals of last year's World Championships in the same venue - the German capital's Olympic Stadium.
"I was very disappointed last year, but the weather was so cold then," explained the 2006 world junior champion.
However, at a meet in the Belgian city of Heusden-Zolder in July, the reigning African champion over the distance clocked 1:41.51 - the closest anyone had got to Kipketer's record.
It was 13 years ago that Kipketer first tied with and then twice bettered Briton Sebastian Coe's 1:41.73 world-best time, which was set in 1981.
"This was my first real attempt to break the world record, I knew I was good, I had trained hard," added Rudisha, whose father Daniel won silver for Kenya in the 4x400m at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
"I knew that I would be fast and that I am in good shape. I was just hoping the weather would be good. It was a bit windy but otherwise it was perfect."
Two other Kenyans, Boaz Kiplagat Lalang and Abraham Kiplagat, were over three seconds back in second and third respectively.
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