Will Bayley has become the new World Number 1 in the men’s class 7 on the latest January world ranking lists.

Bayley now leads Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Popov by 25 points as he starts 2012 with a bang and now, becomes the favourite for gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

The tributes have poured in over the social media site Twitter – which Will is a keen user of:

Sandy Drummond: “well done Will you must be on top of the world – literally!! #bestintheworld“

Kevin Satchell: “Bayley. We are now in the company of legends.’Your time has come to shine all your dreams are on their way'”

Hannah Cockroft: “I hear congratulations are in order for the new WORLD #1@WillBayleytt #WelcomeToTheClub #AllForLondon”

ParalympicsGB: “Congratulations from all at @ParalympicsGB go to table tennis star@WillBayleytt on becoming the new world #1! Keep up the good work!”

C4 Paralympics: “World Number One. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Congratulations, Will.”

Helen Wolstenholme: “Big congratulations Will from all of us here- World number 1 fantastic news, all down to your dedication and determination! :)”

The ITTF Para table tennis world ranking list for men’s class seven also shows Bayley’s team-mates in contention to battle hard come the big event in the summer. Paul Karabardak is ranked 10th, Joe Stotesbury 19th and Farrel Anthony 28th.

To view the full list click here.