Will Bayley’s achievement in winning Paralympic gold in Rio has been recognised by the Sports Journalists’ Association.

The Kent athlete was presented with the Bill McGowran Award for outstanding achievement in Paralympic sport by a man. The corresponding award for a woman went to Kadeena Cox, who won Paralympic gold in both athletics and cycling.

Bayley, from Tunbridge Wells, received the award at a glittering ceremony at the Tower of London and said: “This is such a big award for me personally but also for table tennis and it is amazing to finally get some recognition for the sport.”

The 28 year old was born with arthrogryphosis and also overcame childhood cancer. After taking silver in London 2012 he became world champion in 2014 and his table-topping celebration after winning gold in Rio became one of the most iconic images of the 2016 Paralympic Games.