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Victoria Pendleton missed out on her second gold by the smallest of margins as Lithuania's Simona Krupeckaite won the women's keirin at the World Track Cycling Championships in Copenhagen.

The Brit, who defended her individual sprint title on Saturday, found herself in fourth with two laps remaining but powered around the outside in the final lap to challenge the Lithuanian on the final bend.

But despite finding the perfect spot on Krupeckaite's shoulder, the Lithuanian had the strength to maintain her lead with Pendleton inches behind after a photo finish.

Belarus' Olga Panarina struck bronze to add to her 500m time trial bronze from earlier in the week while there were questions over the Lithuanian's manner of victory as she appeared to take an illegal line in the final bend.

But few could begrudge Krupeckaite her first gold of the Championships, having come so close with 500m time trial silver and bronzes in the sprint and team sprint.

And Pendleton admitted she could have no regrets after her final race of the competition.

"I think when you're racing against someone so much bigger than you, it feels like you are going a long way out but I just focused ahead on the finish line," said Pendleton.

"I thought to myself I was just marginally behind but it was so close.

"I didn't have a lot left but I just gave it everything. I'm pleased with how I've finished the event. I got everything out today so I'm looking forward to a bit of rest now."

Pendleton is the first to admit keirin isn't her specialist discipline but the 29-year old has had success in the past, winning the world title in 2007 and silver a year later in Manchester.

And after impressing to win her semi final, knocking out China's defending champion Guo Shuang, the Netherland's defending bronze medallist Willy Kanis and Australia's double world champion Anna Meares, the Brit's claims she had ridden her luck in previous years seemed overly modest.

So it proved in the final as Pendleton once held her own amongst the world class field but the Brit insists the inclusion of the discipline for its debut Olympics at London 2012 will send the standard of women's keirin racing skyrocketing.

"It's undoubtedly going to be a focus for me in the next two years," said Pendleton, who is current Olympic sprint champion.

"The standards will be rising now ahead of the Olympics. Previously the sprint has been the most significant women's event but now the standard will go up and up.

"I think soon enough, the quality will be about the same as the men's keirin which is great for the sport."

More than the Games / Eurosport