A father of three is set to complete a sporting hat-trick after a random attack left him blind in one eye and with a metal rod in his leg.

Daniel Lawrence, 41, was battered with a broom handle and a brick near his home in Worcester Park when he was set upon by a group of young men after a night out in May 2017.

But the attack spurred the recruitment consultant to take on a series of physical feats.

Mr Lawrence - who has nine-year-old twin boys and another son, aged 10 - ran the 26.2-mile London Marathon in April and cycled the 100-mile Ride London-Surrey in August.

He is set to complete the London Classics with the two-mile Swim Serpentine in Hyde Park on Saturday.

"I thought now I've done those two, I may as well go for the hat-trick," he told the PA news agency.

Mr Lawrence said he cannot remember being assaulted on the Friday before the spring bank holiday in 2017.

"I was attacked after a night out by three people. They (the police) believe they used a broom handle and a brick," he said.

"They smashed my leg, which was snapped in half - there's a metal rod in there now and my eye socket was smashed, so I'm blind in that eye.

"They didn't take my wallet, didn't take my phone. It just seems completely random from what we can gather."

The attack was a turning point for Mr Lawrence, who joined a gym to set him on the road to recovery while waiting for physiotherapy treatment.

"I was already trying to get back into a bit better shape and do a bit more, but after the attack I did a lot more," he said.

"I was going to the gym twice a day most days, swimming in the morning, Monday to Friday, and maybe once or twice on the weekend.

"I was just trying to get myself back to a level as soon as possible, just getting myself stronger and getting my legs working again."

Mr Lawrence said he decided to enter the London Marathon to raise money for a charity that helped his friend's son.

"I never thought I would ever be able to do that, but I really wanted to step up to the challenge and seize the opportunity to fundraise for the Evelina London Children's Hospital, a charity that has cared for my close friend's son," he said.

He signed up to the Ride London-Surrey 100 for the same charity before setting his sights on a third challenge.

Mr Lawrence said: "My original plan was to take on Swim Serpentine next year but then I thought it would feel even more rewarding to complete all three challenges in the same year.

"When I signed up for Swim Serpentine, I had not done any real swimming for two years, since my initial rehabilitation when my leg was too weak to walk or run.

"I've since got myself a wetsuit and have tried open water swimming for the first time."

Mr Lawrence said that after the swim, he plans to take on the Three Peaks challenge and the London Triathlon next year.