Five-time Paralympian Barbara Buchan capped her first gold medal in the women's 3km individual pursuit LC3-4/CP3 category by smashing the world record at Beijing's Laoshan Velodrome Wednesday.

American Barbara Buchan on her way to winning the women's individual pursuit (LC3-4/CP3) yesterday. The 53-year-old is the oldest cycling champion in the Beijing Games. [Xinhua]

The US athlete made up for the disappointment of finishing 8th in the women's 500m time trial on Monday by registering a blistering 4:31.334 min over the longer distance Wednesday.

"In two days, I'll do the 3km and that will be much better," she had vowed after the shorter event. "The 500m is very short for me."

Wednesday's afternoon, the 53-year-old more than lived up to her promise as thousands of spectators cheered as she outpaced younger rivals, including Jayme Paris from Australia, the youngest cyclist at the Games, and New Zealander Paula Tesoriero, the world record holder in the women's 500m LC3-4/CP3 time trial .

"It (Buchan's age) really doesn't matter," said 19-year-old Paris, whose mother is three years younger than Buchan. "She is a very good competitor."

Buchan certainly doesn't view her advancing years as a disadvantage

"My age isn't a problem," she told The Paralympian after winning the gold. "I was a good athlete before my accident."

Over the past 26 years, cycling has been a major part of Buchan's life.

Before that, she was a state champion mile (1.6km) runner at Mountain Home High School in Idaho . While completing a bachelor's degree in athletic training and teaching at Boise State University, she ran the 5,000m and 10,000m races .

After taking up cycling in 1982, she quickly became a top able-bodied cyclist and was shortlisted for the US national team when tragedy struck.

A 20-bike pileup on a steep descent during a qualifier for the World Championships left her in a coma with severe brain damage, paralysis and recurrent seizures.

Doctors and therapists hoped she would eventually renew an independent life and began teaching her to read, write and walk again.

But Buchan wanted more.

By 1986, she was competing again in events for athletes with disabilities, and in 1988 won a spot on the US Paralympic team to Seoul.

Women's cycling was omitted from the program in Seoul, so Buchan rehashed her track past and contested the 800m and 400m events on the track.

Despite suffering from a pulled groin muscle, she won silver in the 800 and finished fourth in the one-lap dash.

She has since medaled in national and world competitions.

She was a US Paralympic track and field team member in the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics before competing as a cyclist in the 2000 and 2004 Paralympics.

Now, Buchan lives and trains in Bend, Oregon, where she is director for Team USabled, a nonprofit organization for disabled children. When she's not on the road or track, Buchan enjoys ceramics and other art projects.

"I'm single and don't have my own children, but I work for disabled children," said Buchan with a big smile on her face.

"I don't know whether I'll compete in London in four years' time. I'll just have fun and take each day as it comes."