CWMBRAN Stadium bosses yesterday paid tribute to Paralympic hero Chris Hallam by renaming a suite in his honour.

The wheelchair athlete competed in four Paralympic Games and won gold in the 50m breaststroke event at the 1984 games in Stoke Mandeville.

He trained at Cwmbran Stadium in Henllys Way with his dad John after a road crash left him in a wheelchair aged 17. The cancer-hit athlete died in August aged 50.

His father John Hallam, 79, said: “He used to do sprints to start with and he then graduated to marathons.

“When he won his first marathon he said to me ‘Look dad, I’m running again.’”

His friend, former Paralympian John Harris, 68, said: “Chris was just the absolute ultimate as an athlete.

“Every disabled kid wants to be Chris Hallam. He was a hero.

“In this country he held every record from 100m to marathons. It was amazing.”

Torfaen Leisure Trust, which runs the stadium, said they had renamed the suite in recognition of Chris’ dedication to the world of sport.

His sister, Julie Martin, 48, added: “Everything started here for him with the swimming and then obviously with the track and the weights. He would be proud they honoured him in this way.”