Judo star Stephanie Inglis smiles for first time since waking from coma after Vietnam moped crash

The athlete was given just a 1% chance of surviving after being involved in a freak accident

Stephanie Inglis was in Vietnam teaching English (PA)

A Commonwealth Games athlete given just a 1 per cent chance of survival after a near-fatal moped crash in Vietnam has stunned doctors by smiling for the first time since waking from a coma.

Judo star Stephanie Inglis, 27, from Scotland, was injured in a freak accident that saw her skirt get caught in the wheel of a moped in Vietnam last month while she was travelling to her job teaching children English.

She was taken to hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, and her friends and family hope to get her home to Scotland within the next few days.

A statement on the Save Steph Facebook page said: “In less than 24 hours, Stephanie and her parents will be on their way home. Her evacuation team left the UK early hours of this morning and have arrived in Bangkok.

“First thing tomorrow morning they will start the handover process with her current medical team and between 7pm and 9pm UK time, assuming this time no tropical storms, the Air Ambulance will leave and commence its Journey to Scotland.

“This is a difficult Journey which will stop in India, Georgia and Austria and then its final stage Stephanie Inglis against all the odds will be home.

“Today Stephanie was improved enough for her parents to explain what was going to happen, and today during a physio session Stephanie Inglis smiled.

“She is in so much discomfort and fighting against all the odds to improve herself when the medical team asked her if she could hold up two fingers, Stephanie did, and then she smiled a small but amazing smile. The doctor was so surprised he started to bow and laugh, because not only did it show that Stephanie understood this instruction, it also showed after all that's happened to her she still had the humour and friendly personality that everyone respects and loves.”

Following the accident, Stephanie’s loved ones set up a fundraising page for the sportswoman’s medical care which was estimated to be costing around £2,000 per day.