The 25-year-old claimed bronze in the women’s 3000m individual pursuit after overcoming Great Britain’s Neah Evans and a vocal home crowd at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Botha, who won silver last year, was third-fastest in qualifying in 3min 20.327sec, just 0.2sec off forcing a spot in the final.
Evans opened up a 2sec gap in the bronze ride, but Botha’s plan, engineered by coach Paul Manning, helped the Kiwi claw back the deficit with a blistering 1min 6sec final kilometre to win by more than a second.
World record holder Chloe Dygert, of the United States, defended her title in the final.
"I was initially a bit gutted with the first ride but when I look back on it, I actually executed the ride quite well," Botha said.
"The medal ride was a bit of a waiting game after she went out hard. I knew I would be able to pull it back by the end because is my strong point is the last part of the race."
The women’s team sprint broke the national record twice to make a significant climb up the world rankings, finishing fifth.
The trio of Rebecca Petch, Shaane Fulton and Ellesse Andrews clocked 47.158sec in qualifying fifth-fastest, breaking the New Zealand record set at the Commonwealth Games by nearly half a second.
They lowered that mark again to 47.067sec in the first round but were edged by Netherlands to finish fifth.
The men’s team pursuit started well, qualifying second-fastest behind Denmark in 3min 49.113sec.
The quartet of Nick Kergozou, Tom Sexton, Campbell Stewart, and Aaron Gate produced a consistent performance throughout the opening 1000m in 1min 2sec before reeling off each subsequent kilometres in 55sec.
The endurance programme wound up with George Jackson placing 11th in the men’s 15km scratch race, won by Great Britain’s William Tidball in the sprint finish.
The New Zealand junior women dominated qualifying over the long and testing surrounds of the downhill mountainbiking track at Fort William with three riders in the top 10.
Hutt Valley professional Erice van Leuven stomped her way to fastest qualifier by nearly 6sec with Mount Maunganui’s Poppy Lane third-fastest and national junior champion Sacha Earnest 10th-fastest.
Van Leuven, who won the UCI World Cup in Switzerland earlier this season, clocked 5min 17.024sec to qualify top over the exhausting 2.9km course, the longest on the international circuit.
Lane was third-fastest in 5min 26.321sec with Earnest 10th in 5min 36.629sec.
The finals are today.
All the New Zealand junior men qualified for today’s finals, led by Luke Wayman (23rd-fastest) and fellow Cantabrian Angus Ferguson (26th). Arrowtown rider Joshua Bonnar and fellow Kiwi DH rider Tyler Muirhead (Wānaka) also qualified.
