by Alex Hoad at
the ExCeL Arena

Will Bayley vowed he will one day win a Paralympic gold after
having to settle for silver in the Class 7 table
tennis at London 2012.

The 24-year-old from Tunbridge Wells suffered a 3-1 defeat
against defending champion, vastly experienced German Jochen
Wollmert, 47, at ExCeL on Sunday night.

Bayley collapsed to the floor in tears after the final point and
was consoled with bear-hugs from his conqueror aswell as his coach
before completing an emotional lap of honour with a Union Jack.

Bayley – appearing in his second Games – was undone by the
tactical mastery of the German, who has now won medals at all seven
Paralympic Games he’s competed at.

Bayley revealed: “I was confident going into the match because
I’ve beaten him nine times out of the last 10.

“I was confident I was going to win but I have to hold my hands
up and say he played better than me.

“He’s a good player, he’s very spinny. He turns it on for the
big tournaments and shocks everyone.

“He was tactically smart and I felt like I was stitched up. He
outsmarted me.”

Bayley added: “I can’t believe he’s won. It’s unbelievable. He
hasn’t won a tournament since Beijing and he goes and wins this
one.

Sorry, this video asset has been removed.

Interview with Will
Bayley after match (video courtesy of Phil Smith/Sportsbeat)

“He was positive and he seems to be on top of his game for the
big occasion. It’s quite annoying actually.

“I was a bit shocked he was playing so well and it got me a bit
negative and it didn’t really happen for me.”

He added: “Maybe I was a bit negative, but he played tactically
very well in stopping me playing my game.

“I don’t think I changed my tactics well enough during the game
but it was difficult to do that in (that environment), maybe in a
local league match you could do it, but not in there.”

Bayley was roared on by thousands of GB supporters and was full
of emotion at every point he won in the opening two sets.

He said: ”My coach said I was maybe too pumped-up, maybe I was.
I’ve never experienced that (atmosphere) before.

“Maybe I wanted it too much and maybe I went after it too much.
He was very cool and calm and he’s got a lot of experience.”

Bayley – who was born with a congenital muscle condition and
then beat cancer aged seven - added: “I don’t have any regrets
because I have given it everything for four years.

“I’ve fought all my life and I’ll keep fighting. I will win a
Paralympic gold medal. I believe I’m good enough. It would mean a
lot to me. I train harder than anyone.”

After missing out on the knockout stages in Beijing four years
ago, Bayley spent six weeks training alone in China, and asked if
he would return this year, he joked: “I don’t know. Maybe. I beat
the Chinese here though, maybe I should go to Germany...”

He also revealed that Wollmert had told him “next time, next
time,” as he consoled him on the floor of the arena after the final
point.