Tokyo Olympic cyclist Bryony Botha has become the third fastest female pursuiter in history after another record-breaking effort on the penultimate day of the Cycling New Zealand Track National Championships.

The 24-year-old member of Cycling New Zealand’s high performance squad set a new mark of 3:21.506 for the 3000m individual pursuit in qualifying on Thursday at the Grassroots Trust Velodrome.

Botha smashed that in winning the final today, clocking 3:19.818 to dip under the 3:20 mark for another New Zealand record.

Only two women have gone faster in world record holder Chloe Dygert (USA) in 3:16.937 and world champion Lisa Brennauer (GER) who clocked 3:18.258 in winning the world title last year.

Last month Botha broke the national record of Olympic gold medallist and then world record holder, Sarah Ulmer which had stood for 18 years. She recorded 3:24.256 at the Waikato-Auckland Championships in Cambridge, which was 0.3s under Ulmer’s time for the 3000m individual pursuit.

She lowered that to 3:32.506 yesterday and smashed it again today.

“I am pretty stoked. I didn’t expect to do a 3:19 today,” Botha said. “But everyone else had full faith in me. It’s great to have so many people behind me believing that I could do it.

“I came into this week tried after a training came so to come out of that and to perform this week is really good.”

In a side-bet, her father offered a new computer if she went under 3:20.

“He came up with that deal on his own, so he only has himself to blame.”

So what if she can break the record again?

“I do need a new fridge….”

Botha said she is excited with the Oceania Championships approaching in a few weeks.

The championships conclude on Saturday.

Credit: Cullen Browne