Meadows cruelly denied world crown after sprint finish in Doha

From David Jordan, Sportsbeat, in Doha

JENNY MEADOWS missed out on a first world title as Russia's Mariya Savinova pipped the Brit in the home straight of the 800m final at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha.

NEAR MISS: Jenny Meadows is pipped on the line by Russia's Mariya Savinova in the 800m final at the World Indoor Athletics Championships (Getty Images)

The 28-year old, who won world outdoor bronze last summer, led from the start in the ASPIRE Dome, but couldn't keep her pace in the final straight as the Russian gradually edged past to win in a world leading time of 1:58.26 minutes.

Meadows' time of 1:58.43 was good enough to break her own national indoor record and clinch silver but that will prove scant consolation for the Brit who had gold within her grasps until the final 20m.

But Meadows was determined to look on the bright side and insisted her progress in the past two years was something to be proud of.

"I'm not too disappointed," said Meadows, who finished fifth at the last World Indoor Championships in Valencia two years ago.

"If you look at the time then I have to be happy and I think it shows good signs of progress.

"I was excited this morning and I was looking forward to the race and I am sure it was a great one to watch. I thought I was holding her off at the end but she came through and I had to just keep battling to make sure I got silver."

The Brit had impressed in the heats, setting the fastest time of the six qualifiers and beating European indoor champion Savinova in the process, and looked a safe bet to collect Great Britain's third medal after Jessica Ennis and Dwain Chambers' golden performances on Saturday.

But it was silver rather than gold for Meadows as Savinova, who had been unable to contend in the heat, looked a different competitor in the final, stalking Meadows as the two gradually stretched away from the rest of the field.

The Russian made her move in the final bend with Meadows resisting at first before succumbing to the inevitable and fading to let the Russian past with USA's Alysia Johnson more than a second back in bronze.

But having broken the national indoor record for the second time of the season and collected her most prized silverware to date, Meadows' has plenty of positives to build on as she turns to the outdoor season.

Meanwhile, Sudan's Abubaker Kaki defended his title in the men's 800m.

The 20-year old dominated the final, eventually crossing the line in a season's best 1:46.23 minutes.

Kenya's Boaz Lalang was the youngsters nearest rival in Doha but couldn't keep up in the final stages and settled for silver, 0.16 seconds back, with Poland's Adam Kszczot another 0.3 behind in bronze.