The 24-year-old raced home at the Golden Sprike meet at the Mestsky Stadium in the northeastern Czech city of Ostrava in an outstanding 30.81 seconds.

The previous world record of 30.85sec was set at altitude in Pretoria in 2000 by American Michael Johnson.

It was the second time the 24-year-old South African has usurped Johnson, having broken his 17-year-old 400m world record when racing to victory at last year's Rio Olympics.

Van Niekerk's time also shattered the meet record of 30.97sec -- previously the second fastest time every run -- set by Jamaican sprint star Bolt in 2010.

Running in lane five, Van Niekerk enjoyed a scintillating start that saw him catapult down the back stretch and pass Isaac Makwala of Botswana after the first 80 metres.

Negotiating the bend with aplomb, the South African shot into the home straight well in the lead.

As he seemed to pull up slightly, Makwala pushed but a final spurt saw Van Niekerk ease past Johnson's previous best.

The result is another feather in the cap for the world and Olympic 400m champion, who this year has set a leading mark of 19.84sec in the 200m and a personal record of 9.94sec in the 100m.

Van Niekerk is also the first athlete to break 10sec for the 100m, 20sec for the 200m and 44sec for the 400m, and it is little wonder Bolt himself taps the South African as his most likely successor when he hangs up his spikes come season's end.