Bayley going for gold at the London Paralympics

IT'S official, Will Bayley will be going for gold at the London Paralympics this summer.

The Groombridge ace has been named as part of the table tennis squad that will represent Great Britain in London.

Although he has just turned 24, Bayley is one of the more experienced athletes to make up a team that is one of the youngest squads in the world at the moment.

The announcement tops off a great start to the new year for Bayley, who has also secured the number one world ranking spot.

"I am really proud to have been selected for ParalympicsGB," he said. "Our team live and train together, and we have been working really hard to prepare for London 2012. I know that with the support of ParalympicsGB we will be well prepared for the games.

"I am really looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd in London and playing in front of my friends and family – I will only be 40 minutes from home.

"It is also a really exciting opportunity to raise the profile of the Paralympics and to give people the opportunity to see what a great sport this is."

Bayley was born with arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder that affected all four of his limbs.

While recovering from cancer as a seven-year-old, he discovered he could play a good game of table tennis.

Thanks to his grandma, who bought him his first table tennis table, Bayley continued to persevere with the game. At the age of 12 he joined Byng Hall Table Tennis Club in Tunbridge Wells where he continued to improve and moved on to represent Kent men's team of able-bodied players.

In October 2011 Bayley returned from the European Championships in Split, Croatia with a gold medal in the singles and silver in the team event. He finished the year by being voted the European Players' Player of the Year 2011 and was subsequently announced as the world number 1.

Bayley was one of 10 table tennis players selected for the games.

ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Craig Hunter said: "I'm delighted to welcome this group of athletes to ParalympicsGB.

"To have all ten ranked within the top eleven in the world shows that there is real potential within this squad and tribute should be paid to the governing body for supporting these athletes."