AN A-LEVEL student from Middleton in Teesdale has brought home two medals from an international skiing competition.

His achievement is made even more exceptional because Alex Crawley underwent a life-saving kidney transplant when he was three.

Alex, now 17, won a gold medal in the downhill, and a silver in the cross-country, skiing events at this year's Nicholas Cup, an international winter games for children and teenagers.

It was the first time he had competed in the event.

Like Alex, all the other 97 competitors at the games have received organ transplants, and some learned to ski and snowboard just days before the competition, which was held in Poland.

Alex's 14-year-old brother, Josh, was also at the event, taking part in one of the fun races.

Alex, who attends Teesdale School sixth form, said: "Organ donation is really important because otherwise people like me wouldn't be able to do this sort of thing and lead a normal life. I can do anything that anyone who hasn't had a transplant can."

He works part-time at Penny's Restaurant in Barnard Castle, and had only been skiing half-a-dozen times and had never attempted cross-country before.

"They had a sign-up sheet at the hospital for people who might be interested in the event, and someone had already written my name down," he said. "So I didn't have a choice really."

But he said he enjoyed the competition: "I had a go at snowboarding while I was there, which was fun, but I came back with a lot of bruises. The best thing was meeting new people and talking to them."

Alex hopes to represent the British adult team in a similar competition next year.