Dethroned World Champion Melaine Walker believes a slight stumble over the final hurdle cost her the gold medal, which she conceded to American Lashinda Demus in the 400 metres hurdles final yesterday.

Walker, who showed all of her championship qualities, battling an injury, a poor lane draw and a motivated Demus, however, remained proud of earning herself a silver medal.

"I was so close, I would have got it out of lane eight, just a simple stumble and then I lost it but I'm still proud, I never thought I would have gotten a medal, to be honest," admitted Walker, who has endured one of her worst seasons with an injury being a major factor throughout.

Running out of lane eight, Walker, who was defending the gold medal she won two years ago in Berlin, produced a gutsy season-best 52.73, but a stumble before the final hurdle cost her the gold medal, as American Demus, 52.47, continued her purple patch against the Jamaican, who is yet to beat her.

Kaliese Spencer, who started the race as the world-leader in the event, faded towards the end after running most of the race in third place. In the end, settling for yet another fourth-place finish in 54.01. Spencer finished in the very same position at the last Worlds in Berlin, Germany.

Walker, who was so distraught upon finding out that she had been drawn in lane eight despite a second-place finish in her semi-final, threatened to not show up for the final but in the end surprised even herself, as she powered throughout the entire contest.

"Some of the times I do stuff, it's unbelievable and I don't know how I manage to, I guess that when it really comes to the nitty-gritty, that's when I rise," Walker beamed.

"I was in lane eight, so I asked myself, what else can I do I just ran and when I came on the stretch and I realised that I was in front, I had so much more momentum but at that last hurdle I stumbled and lost that gold but it's still better than nothing at all," she added.

"It's bittersweet but it was so close and that's what gets me, it's my fault that I didn't get the gold," Walker continued.