A WOMAN survived two near-death experiences – and went on to become a medal-winning athlete.

Jannine Church, a former officer with the RAF from Nether Poppleton, York, was on a training course in 2000 when she fell 1,300 feet into the Stob Coire nam Beath's Summit Gully at Glencoe.

She survived, but suffered a broken back, and severe head and brain injuries, but has battled since then to achieve a full but gradual recovery.

The fall led to her being listed in the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records as the survivor of the longest fall down a mountain.

Jannine married, had two children - Jacob and Emma, now 15 and 12 but noticed last year she was suffering from unusual symptoms and decided to get a check up.

Doctors discovered a brain tumour. She was treated for several days with a variety of drugs to try and shrink the tumour, which was the size of an apple, before surgeons performed a ten hour operation to remove it.

And earlier this month, she took part in the Department of Defense Warrior Games in Chicago - a competition run for hundreds of veterans from US and UK armed forces, most of whom have suffered injuries in the line of duty.

Jannine, 53, won gold in the women's 800m, 200m and 100m track events, and placed fourth in a cycling event - going up against people who had suffered similar injuries in each category.

She said: "There are people there in wheelchairs competing, people with limbs missing competing in the pool and beating people two arms doing the crawl, it was just electric. The only way I can describe it is 'humbling', what people put up with - you think you have a bad deal then see what others are dealing with, it makes you thankful for what you have."