China's Shuang Guo had just pipped the 11-time world champion on the line to take gold in Cambridge, but 32-year-old Meares couldn't stop smiling.
Forced out of the team sprint on Friday after injuring her back two days earlier, Meares was just rapt to be back racing.
"I'm so, so happy. I love good races, I love hard races, and the final just didn't disappoint for me," she said.
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"I'm happy I left everything out on the track, and I didn't feel my back during the race."
The injury isn't anything new - it's something Meares has been managing for the past 10 years, but she said this was the first time it had caused problems during a competition.
"We came here to target this World Cup, and it just felt like I had an itch I couldn't scratch or I wasn't allowed to scratch until today.
"I feel better now."
