FORMER Paralympic champion Ian Hayden has died aged 64.

The shot, javelin and discus thrower won gold and silver medals when he represented Great Britain at the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul and the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

He was also awarded an MBE for his services to equal opportunities in 1994.

Mr Hayden, of Norreys Road, in Didcot, joined the Army in 1970 and was also diagnosed as a haemophiliac.

He was left disabled after suffering severe injuries to his back, legs and shoulders when attacked on guard duty in Tidworth, Wiltshire, in 1974.

In 1986 he joined the Vale of the White Horse Association for the Disabled and began to train and compete with crutches.

He won two gold medals and one silver at the Paralympics in Seoul, Korea in 1988 and two golds at the 1990 World Championships in Holland.

After an injury at the World Championships he was confined to a wheelchair but he went on to win two silver medals at the Paralympics in Barcelona in 1992.

He was forced to retire from international sport when he injured his back during qualifying for the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics.

After being invited to open the disabled access entrance at St Aldate’s Post Office, Mr Hayden was later offered a job as an equal opportunities consultant with Royal Mail.

In 1995 the company sponsored him as he cycled 1,068 miles over 23 days from John O’Groats to Land’s End on a hand-powered cycle.

He raised about £100,000 for the British Paralympic Association.

Mr Hayden was also a keen golfer and joined the Handigolf Foundation playing from a specially-adapted buggy.

His favourite courses included Radley College, Drayton Park and Frilford Heath.

With his wife Daphne, Mr Hayden formed the disabled charity All About Ability and opened Ian Hayden Fishing tackle shop, in the Vineyard, in Abingdon in 1976.

In 1984 they moved to larger premises in East St Helen’s Street in Abingdon and changed the name to “Hayden Tackle and Guns”.

They opened their second shop in Wantage in 1985 before selling the business in 1986.

Mr Hayden and his wife, 61, celebrated their 30th anniversary on March 27.

He leaves daughter Sarah, 32, son Will, 28, and two grandchildren Thomas, seven, and Henry, three.

In a statement, his family said: “All through his life Ian worked hard to overcome the challenges that came his way. Family and friends were always very important to him.

“He had an amazing life and he was loved by all who knew him.”

His funeral is today, at St Helen’s Church in Abingdon, at 2pm.