Will Bayley Bio, Wiki, Age, Girlfriend, Daughter, Hands, Height, Married, Fiona York, Strictly Come Dancing, Disability and Instagram
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Will Bayley Bio – Will Bayley Wiki
Will Bayley born William John Bayley, is a British professional Paralympic table tennis player. He is the 2016 Summer Paralympics Games gold medallist and the 2014 World Champion.
At the age of seven, Will became unwell and was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, and began a six-month course of chemotherapy at the now very familiar Great Ormond Street Hospital. Unable to play any contact sport due to his ‘Hickman line’, which was used to administer his chemotherapy, Will’s Grandmother bought him a table tennis table.
At the age of 11, Will joined Byng Hall Table Tennis Club in Tunbridge Wells where he continued to improve through his dedication to training and gaining match practice by entering competitions each week. By the age of 16 Will was representing Kent men’s team of able-bodied players, in the Kent league.
After leaving school, Will was awarded a place at The BRIT School for Performing Arts, Croydon, to embark upon a Theatre Studies course. He continued to train in the evenings at Byng Hall TTC and take part in table tennis competitions at the weekend and it was during this time that he met fellow Paralympic table tennis player, Joe Stotesbury.
Both Will and Joe soon moved to Bristol to continue their studies and, more importantly, to train at the Felton Table Tennis Academy in Bristol where Will spent the next two years before moving to Sheffield.
Will’s table tennis had improved to a point where he was not only playing in national competitions but also in international competitions.
He represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China, where he was knocked out of the table tennis C7 singles in the preliminary round. He also competed in the C6-8 team event along with Paul Karabardak and David Wetherill; they were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage. In 2009 he won gold medals at the Czech and German opens, in 2010 he took golds in Lignano and Brazil.
Bayley won a gold medal in the singles at the 2011 European Championships in Split, Croatia. He also won a silver medal in the men’s Team event class 7, playing alongside Karabardak. At the end of 2011 he was voted the European Players’ Player of the Year and in January 2012 he achieved the world number one ranking.
Bayley won a silver medal in the London 2012 Summer Paralympics after losing to Germany’s Jochen Wollmert in the class 7 final. At the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics, Bayley won his first Paralympic gold medal after beating home-favourite Brazilian Israel Pereira Stroh.
In January 2017, Will was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services for Table Tennis.
Will Bayley Age
He was born on 17 January 1988 in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. He is 31 years old.
Will Bayley Girlfriend – Will Bayley Partner
Will Bayley’s partner is Fiona York. Will starred on an episode of Channel 4 show, First Dates, in 2016. Months later Will went on to meet his partner Fiona York.
Will Bayley Daughter
Will and his partner Fiona York share daughter Bella.
Will Bayley Disability – Will Bayley Hands
He was born with arthrogryposis which affects all four of his limbs. Will’s parents already knew their baby would be born with arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder that was to affect all four of his limbs. Will’s feet were splinted from birth and at three months old Will underwent his first major operation, which was to see him in plaster for several months. Many more reconstruction operations were to follow at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), under the direction of the late John Fixsen, a world renowned paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. By the age of three, and with the aid of magic Pedro boots and a frame, Will was, at last, able to walk, according to his website.
Will Bayley Cancer
He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of seven.
Will Bayley Height
Will stands at a height of 170cm.
Will Bayley Strictly Come Dancing
On 5 August 2019, Will Bayley was announced as the 10th celebrity to be a contestant on the seventeenth series of Strictly Come Dancing.
The Paralympic champion said: “I’m so proud to be on the show, it’s my family’s favourite show. I have no dance experience at all, but I hope I can do well. I want to inspire people with a disability- that would mean a lot to me. I want to prove to people I can do this.”
Will Bayley’s bio on Strictly website reads, “In January 2017 Will was awarded an MBE for services for Table Tennis and is currently training to defend his Paralympic title at the Tokyo 2020 games. He recently won Gold at the Japan Open 2019. Will has suffered from arthrogryposis since birth, a rare condition which affects all four of his limbs. Will is classified as a Class 7 Paralympic athlete and was one of the stars of London 2012 and Rio 2016 games, winning consecutive silver and gold medals.
“He joins footballer David James, comedian Chris Ramsey, EastEnders star Emma Barton, social media star Saffron Barker, actress Catherine Tyldesley, BBC Breakfast’s Mike Bushell, CBBC presenter Karim Zeroual, Viscountess Emma Weymouth and RuPaul Drag Race’s Michelle Visage in our line-up this year.”
Will Bayley Strictly Partner
The Olympian has been paired with Janette Manrara.
Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Contestants
- David James
- Chris Ramsey
- Emma Barton
- Saffron Barker
- Catherine Tyldesley
- Mike Bushell
- Karim Zeroual
- Viscountess Emma Weymouth
- Michelle Visage
- Will Bayley
- Alex Scott
- Dev Griffin
- James Cracknell
- Anneka Rice
