A TALENTED young swimmer has won the race of his life just two days after being mugged at knifepoint by a gang of ruthless thugs.

Reece Barclay, 16, a student at Trinity High School in Woodford Green was threatened with a meat cleaver and metal chains by eight masked teenagers at a bus stop outside the Odeon cinema in South Woodford as he made his way to training.

The student from Longdeacon Road in Chingford overcame the trauma of the attack to win gold in the 200m front crawl race at his first ever adult-level swimming competition, the Men's Essex Championships, on Sunday, March 30.

The youngster, who hopes to swim for Britain at the London Olympics, said he channelled his anger towards the muggers, who stole his phone and £30 in cash, into training hard for the event.

He added: "There's no doubt that what happened gave me even more motivation to win, because I was really angry about it.

"I was waiting to catch a bus to training at Fullwell Cross swimming pool in Barkingside, when this group of boys walked up behind me and demanded I hand over my stuff.

"I can look after myself, but they had metal chains around their fists, and one had a meat cleaver, so there was not much I could do.

"Winning the championship was all the more sweet because of what happened, particularly because I managed to beat my own personal best time.

The teenager, who has been violently mugged before, said he did not bother to report the incident to the police.

He said: "The police did nothing to punish the boys who mugged me last time, so I couldn't be bothered to contact them."

Coach, Paul Robbins, of Redbridge Swimming Club, praised the teenager for his courage and determination.

He said: "Reece has a special talent for swimming, and he showed he also has the mental attitude you need to succeed at a high level.

"He is a black belt in karate, and can handle himself, but I told him he made the right choice by handing over his belongings because there's no point getting himself hurt for just £30."