As Will Bayley writes on his website, "Every hurdle is an opportunity." The 31-year-old Paralympian has represented Great Britain in the last three Olympics, winning silver in London 2012 and gold in Rio 2016. Born with arthrogryposis, a contracture of the joints in all four of his limbs, he is also a cancer survivor. He competes in Class 7 para table tennis events. With great pain in his feet, he relies on the movement of his whole body to create the spin he cannot generate with his immobilized wrist. This year, Bayley has been on a tear. Yesterday in Tokyo, he won the men's singles at the 2019 Para Japan Open. While this is a remarkable accomplishment in its own right, it also represents his third straight win. After bagging the Class 7 men's singles title this March in Italy's Lignano Masters, he pulled the same stunt this May in Laško, Slovenia. “This was probably my best win of the season so far," said Bayley after capturing the title in Tokyo. "It feels amazing to have won three tournaments in a row; I just want my level to get better and better." With the elusive turkey under his belt, Bayley is in peak form one year before the Tokyo Olympics. "I want to be remembered for being a great table tennis player, not a disabled guy that played table tennis," he writes on his website, willbayley.com. That much is already assured, as Bayley was recognized as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017 for his service to the crown. A fiery competitor, he will assuredly look to cement his legacy with another Paralympic medal in Tokyo next year.

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