A teenager with brittle bone disease battled against the odds to win the London Mini Marathon with a dislocated hip.

Doctors told Jack Binstead’s parents that he could have died in November, when an operation on his hip went wrong and left him in intensive care for three days.

The 14-year-old was dealt a double blow in December, when he came home and broke his femur for the 28th time and was re-admitted to hospital.

His parents were doubtful he would even be able to compete in the marathon after he was given eight weeks to recover from a February operation to re-rod his femur.

But Jack, who was tipped for Paralympic success by Sebastian Coe, went on to defy everyone by not just winning for a third time, but shaving a massive two-and-a-half minutes off last year’s time, in the 14 and under category.

His mum Penny, from Chessington, said: “It shows how far you can get with sheer determination and true grit. I don’t think he could believe it himself, he kept checking the time. It’s just amazing.”

It is not the first time Jack has won with a painful injury. In 2008, he was the first to cross the line, with a broken leg, and in 2010 he scooped gold despite racing through the pain of a broken rib.

Mr Binstead, who is a pupil at Chessington Community College, said: “I only seem to win when I’m injured. I knew I would still compete, but everybody was telling me I was stupid, and I wouldn’t be able to, but I told people I could win.

"I can be a world junior champion by next year, and that really spurs me on."

Next year will be Mr Binstead’s first race against the older age groups, so he is not expected to win, but Mrs Binstead said: “There are never any guarantees with Jack.”