Will Bayley: Welcoming the Bright Lights of London

Adversity, a concept banded around liberally in association with Paralympians, is no stranger to Will Bayley. Rather unusually though, his most vigorous tussle with it was nothing to do with his congenital disability and came long before his life of international sport. At the age of seven, he was diagnosed with cancer and given a 50% chance of living.

As he now acknowledges, Arthrogryposis – the muscular disorder that Bayley suffers from – took a back seat. A two-year struggle for survival, consisting of constant, rigorous chemotherapy, became the primary concern.      

After finally fighting his way back to full health, Bayley was given a table tennis table by his grandmother as a present. Brimming with boundless enthusiasm and genuine love for the sport over the next few years, his skill set him apart from his able-bodied peers before the British Paralympic Association spotted him at a talent camp and granted him the platform to compete for his country. Now, standing at second in the world rankings of Paralympic class seven, there is a very real prospect of glory on the biggest stage.

When I meet him, Bayley introduces himself cheerfully and apologises for keeping me waiting, despite the fact that he is not at all late. He has, he explains, had to pose for a while outside while a photographer from Channel 4 takes his picture. The excited smile on Bayley’s face states the obvious, but I decide to humour him anyway. Is all the attention becoming a drag yet, then?

“Not at all,” comes the inevitable response, rapidly. “It is great to get noticed by people. If you are top athlete, you deserve that.”

Bayley is entirely justified in categorising himself amongst the elite. With almost exactly a year to go until London 2012 gets underway, he is in a very strong position from which to rush for gold. What is more, having undertaken a punishing training regime, the 23 year-old is determined not to let his medal challenge be hindered by the evils of complacency or laziness.

“I train from nine in the morning until twelve thirty and then again from three until six every day,” Bayley explains, exuding an endearing sense of pride.

“That encompasses work on the table with some strength and conditioning in between. We also spend a fair amount of time doing stretching exercises, which we need to ease the pain of our disabilities anyway, but which also helps us to recover and prepare for the sheer amount of work we put in.”

In spite of his youth, there is a striking ambassadorial edge that steels Bayley’s words, something that becomes especially prominent when he continues to diplomatically discuss the wider perception of his sport.

“People don’t think about the training you do,” he concedes. “To be completely honest, if you mentioned Paralympic table tennis to someone they would probably think it was a Mickey Mouse thing. There is a lot of dedication though, believe me. Every day, it is a case of blood, sweat and tears.”

“I don’t think there is anyone who trains harder than me so, hopefully, by next year I will have some great preparation behind me and will be able to perform well.”

An ingrained combination of assertive confidence and obvious talent makes Bayley very attractive to the media horde that have descended on the Paralympic picture as next summer looms large on the sporting horizon. Even so, coverage of disability sport can still be improved hugely.

“I have won other tournaments, including the Polish and German Opens this year,” Bayley goes on, listing his considerable achievements this year without the faintest hint of arrogance, over serving to embarrassingly highlight my ignorance of his success. “I have now got around ten international gold medals, but they do not seem to get talked about.”

“One thing gets focussed on, and that is London 2012. I wouldn’t say that was frustrating, you just have to deal with it because that is the way it is. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t special. It really is. It is the only thing I think about.”

Bayley’s words are not inane soundbites. Rather, they are the sentiments of a competitor who is ardently eager to immerse himself in a home Paralympics, yet also keen to stay composed and collected. He has been forced to mature a great deal over the past three years since an underwhelming performance in Beijing last time out.

In fact, the tumult of China – home to 3 million disabled table tennis players where matches are broadcasted on big screens and impromptu knock-ups take place in shopping centres – provided the perfect environment for Bayley to learn about the demands of his sport. Now, humbly reminiscing about the journey through the ranks, it seems that he has stumbled upon a profound appreciation.

“I remember playing for Kent’s able-bodied team and one of my friends told me I should get into the Paralympic set-up,” Bayley candidly recalls. “First of all I was reluctant and said ‘No, there’s nothing wrong with me.’”

“I denied it at first because I wanted to become the best able-bodied player in England. Eventually I came round to the idea and went to a Paralympic camp and progressed from there.”

“I feel fine now, and proud to be a Paralympian. I think I was blinkered, like most people are, about Paralympic sport. I thought it was only a hobby but is in fact more serious than that. People come back from facing adversity in their lives to train at it and be as good as they can be. It’s actually a privilege to have the chance to compete.” 

With adversity beligerently beaten, then, does Bayley think that his new-found privilege can carry him to gold?

“I don’t know about that,” he grins broadly, refusing to boast. “It will be good to just be there. I made the mistake of bigging myself up before Beijing so I won’t do that again! I’ll just do my best.”

“What I can say is that I will get more and more excited over the course of the coming year. I just hope publicity increases and the spotlight shines on Will Bayley and on table tennis.”

If sheer charisma has anything to do with winning medals, Bayley will have no problem scaling the podium in 2012. There, he can enjoy the spotlight at its very brightest.

Team 2012, presented by Visa, is raising funds to support 1,200 British athletes as they prepare for a place at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For athlete updates and to show your support, visit www.visa.co.uk/goldenspace

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