Will Bayley smiles at the memory as he shifts in his chair at the Brighton Brighton Table Tennis Club. He is, of course, the world’s number one para-table tennis champion but most people know him either for his 2019 appearance in Strictly Come Dancing or for the iconic moment he won the men’s singles semi-finals in front of a home crowd at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
It wasn’t just the singles victory over Ukraine’s Maxym Nikolenko that was so memorable after just 27 minutes. It was Will jumping onto his coach Kevin Satchell and pumping his fist into the air in celebration that was beamed live around the world and shown on TV almost on a continuous loop. It was later named as one of the International Paralympic Committee’s Top 50 Paralympic Moments of 2012. It was also a reaction that cemented his place in the hearts and minds of the capacity crowd inside the ExCeL Exhibition Centre as well as the viewers watching his triumph on Channel 4.
‘There were thousands of people chanting “Bayley, Bayley!” It felt like I was a superstar just for a few seconds,’ Will says.
Raised in Groombridge, Will was beaten by Germany’s Jochen Wollmert 3-1 in the final, meaning he had to settle for silver at his second Paralympic appearance, having debute in Beijing four years earlier at the age of 20. He showed his raw emotions again as Wollmert went to console him after he fell to the ground in tears at the end of the match.
In 2016, there were more dramatic scenes as he jumped onto the table after victory over the Brazilian Israel Pereira Stroh in Rio saw him claim his first Paralympic gold medal. Will received a yellow card for his overzealous reaction – not that he was concerned.
‘I’d never felt so happy and I couldn’t stop myself getting up on the table,’ he admits. ‘There was a lot of pressure going into that tournament for me. I hadn’t won a gold in my previous Paralympic appearances, and it was tough losing four years earlier. Getting to the final again, I felt it was an opportunity I had to take. I was overcome with emotion at winning. I still can’t put the moment into words.’
On the back of his success in Rio, Will was awarded the Bill McGowran Trophy for ‘outstanding achievement in Paralympic sport by a male athlete’ by the Sports Journalists Association in December 2016 and received an MBE in the New Year Honours List. ‘That was another surreal moment,’ he admits. ‘Going to the Palace with Mum, Dad and my brother was a day I will never forget.’
It was an incredible moment for a boy who was born with arthrogryposis – a congenital joint contracture (muscle shortening) which affects all four of his limbs and needed multiple operations beginning at just three months old.
He took up table tennis at seven when his grandmother bought him a table to keep him busy after he was diagnosed with cancer. The rest, as they say, is history. After beating non-Hodgkin lymphoma he went on to join Byng Hall Table Tennis Club in Tunbridge Wells when he was 12 and five years later, he moved to Sheffield to begin training full-time.
After excelling at the Paralympics, Will dedicated his contemporary dance on Strictly with professional dance partner Janette Manrara to the staff and patients of Great Ormond Street Hospital, where he'd been treated for his cancer. Sadly, he was forced to withdraw in the sixth week of the hit TV show after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his leg during rehearsals.
‘The injury was a real setback, but I don’t have any regrets about doing Strictly,’ Will says. ‘It was a completely new experience for me. I’d never danced before and I didn’t know that I could do it. I was proud of myself for giving it a go and I think I did OK, considering I was up against it a little bit! It’s always good to push yourself and take yourself out of your comfort zone.’
Will’s injury, combined with the Covid-19 pandemic, seriously disrupted his preparations for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo – scheduled for 2020 and eventually held in 2021. His two silver medals in the men’s class 7 singles and men’s class 6-7 team events were all the sweeter therefore, given the personal adversity he had to overcome.
‘All my Paralympic experiences have been special and Tokyo was special in a different way for me, getting to the final after coming back from an ACL injury. That was a really personal achievement.’
A father of two daughters, Will returned to Sussex in 2021, where he lives in Peacehaven and trains at Brighton Table Tennis Club.
‘It’s great being back,’ he says. ‘I do like the slower way of life here on the South Coast. I don’t get a great deal of spare time, but when I do I enjoy going for a coffee and spending time on the beach in Peacehaven and Saltdean.
‘And Brighton Table Tennis Club is a special club,’ adds Will, who coaches Bly Twomey at the club – a 14-year-old Brighton-born player who will also appear at this summer’s Paralympics. ‘When we go to the Paralympics, Bly and I feel that not only are we representing Great Britain but also Brighton, Sussex and Brighton Table Tennis Club.
‘We’ve had so much support from everyone here and that means so much to us. It increases our confidence, knowing we’ll have people from Brighton there supporting us. Familiar faces and people who you know want you to win.’
Paris 2024 will mark Will’s fifth Paralympics. ‘I’m expecting a big atmosphere, a lot of noise and the home fans to come out in numbers and in force,’ he says, thinking ahead to his upcoming appearances at the South Paris Arena, where he and 279 other para-table tennis players will compete for 93 medals between August 29 and September 7.
And what can we expect from Will at this summer’s Games?
‘I am just as excited for this Paralympics as my first one,’ he beams, adding that he’s spent the months in the run up to Paris 2024 ‘upping my game and ensuring I’m ready to go, trying to get that gold medal.’
Should he bring home a second Paralympic gold, his celebrations are guaranteed to be every bit as full-on as we’ve seen from him before. ‘Winning, losing - it’s emotional,’ Will says. ‘You never lose that buzz for the Paralympics.’
The teenage player
‘My disability is part of me’
Bly Twomey, who was born with cerebral palsy and struggles to put toothpaste on her toothbrush, will be making her Paralympic debut at the age of 14. She is a pupil at the city’s Cardinal Newman Catholic School and trains at Brighton Table Tennis Club
She went for a sports day in 2021, fell in love with table tennis and within six months was playing in the National Club League and within a year had been selected for the British Para Table Tennis development squad.
Congratulations on your inclusion in the Paralympics GB squad for Paris 2024. How much are you looking forward to the Games?
Bly: I’m really excited. Half of Brighton Table Tennis Club will be coming to Paris to support us. It’s going to be an incredible atmosphere and I can’t wait!
What do your classmates think?
Everyone at school is really excited. They are happy to see how far I’ve come.
You qualified for the Paralympics after winning the European Para Championships last September. That must have been amazing?
I’m only 14, so I really didn’t think I’d be going to Paris. To qualify at my age is amazing. I’m very happy.
How have your preparations for the Games been going?
Really well. I’ve been training hard – around three hours every day - and it’s a case of hoping for the best when I’m in Paris.
What’s it like training with Will?
Will is an amazing player and it’s great for him to be my coach. He has told me about his past Paralympic experiences.
How much do you enjoy living in Brighton?
I’ve always lived in Brighton. It’s an amazing place to live with the sea here. I live close to the i360 in the centre of town.
Can you tell us a bit about the importance of Brighton Table Tennis Club to you?
I’m always here. I absolutely love it. Before I came here, I wasn’t very confident and the club has helped me massively with my confidence.
What do like doing in your spare time?
I like going on walks with my dog but in all honesty, a lot of my time is spent at the club.
You were born with cerebral palsy. How does that affect you?
My disability means I can’t do things like put toothpaste on a toothbrush or walk that far. But I am happy to have my disability… it’s just part of me.
Finally, what are you expecting from Paris 2024?
I’m going out there to play my game, to have fun and enjoy the experience. I’m not hoping for medals… it’s all about the experience. My mum, dad, brother and all my grandparents will be there to support me!
