Three teenagers have been arrested after Paralympic athlete's stolen racing wheelchair was anonymously returned.

John Smith's dreams of competing in Rio were in tatters after his custom-built wheelchair, worth £5,000, was stolen from his West Kingsdown home last week.

But the 26-year-old has been reunited with his chair after it was anonymously left outside a house in Meopham yesterday.

Two 18-year-olds and a 16-year-old have been arrested in connection with the theft and have all been bailed, pending further inquiries, until August 16 and 17.

A police spokesman said: "The wheelchair has now been returned to its rightful owner and we would like to thank everyone who assisted with our appeal to help find it.

"The victim is part of a Great Britain racing team and requires it to compete in upcoming events."

John heard just hours before the theft, which took place overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, that he had qualified to race for Team GB in the T54 marathon.

The former amateur boxer is ranked number two in Team GB, with only his training partner and six-times gold medallist David Weir above him.

As well as qualifying for the T54 marathon, John also hopes to compete in shorter track events, including the 400m sprint. He is set to fly out to Brazil in September.

John turned his life around after he was shot by gamekeepers when he was 16 and out lamping for rabbits. One of the bullets struck his spine, leaving him paralysed from the waist down.

He spent six months recovering at the world-renowned Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire.

After battling with the devastating knowledge he would never walk again, John put his determination and courage to the test and began his career as a wheelchair athlete.

He first competed as a seated thrower in the discus, shotput and javelin, before turning his attention to wheelchair racing.