Sam Quek facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sam Quek
MBE

Quek in 2023
Personal information
Birth name	Samantha Ann Quek
Born	(1988-10-18) 18 October 1988 (age 36) Liverpool, England
Height	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	62 kg (9 st 11 lb)
Sport
Country	England  United Kingdom
Sport	Field hockey
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Representing  England European Championship Gold 2015 London Silver 2013 Boom Commonwealth Games Silver 2014 Glasgow Team

Samantha Ann Quek, born on October 18, 1988, is a famous English former field hockey player. She is also a well-known television presenter. Sam played as a defender for both the England and Great Britain's national field hockey teams. She wore squad number 13. Sam won a gold medal with the British team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Sam Quek has hosted many TV sports shows. These include American football on the BBC, rugby union on Channel 5, and field hockey on BT Sport. She also covered football for Channel 4 and LFC TV. Sam has appeared on popular TV shows. She was a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2016. In 2020, she reached the final three on Celebrity Masterchef.

In 2021, Sam became a team captain on the BBC One sports show Question of Sport. She also joined Strictly Come Dancing as a contestant in 2024.

Early Life and Education

Sam Quek was born on October 18, 1988, in Liverpool. Her mother, Marilyn, is English, and her father, Albert, is Chinese Singaporean. Sam has a twin brother. Her family moved several times when she was young. They lived in Liverpool, then West Derby, and later the Wirral Peninsula.

Sam went to Hillside Primary School and then Birkenhead High School. She later attended Calday Grange Grammar School. She studied at Leeds Metropolitan University. There, she earned a degree in Sport & Exercise Science.

Starting Hockey Young

Sam began playing hockey while at Birkenhead High School. She tried out for the Wirral under-12 team and was selected. Her team won the Merseyside Youth Games twice. She then joined a team called Mini Panthers. Her coach, Peter Cartmel, had also chosen her for the Wirral County team.

Hockey Career Highlights

Sam Quek played as a defender for both England and Great Britain. She wore squad number 13.

Early Success in Hockey

In 2005, Sam was part of the England team that won the Girl's (Under-18s) Four Nations Invitational Tournament. They beat Holland in the final. She also won gold at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival with the Great Britain team. In 2006, her team was second at the Women's EuroHockey Junior Championship.

Sam earned her first Great Britain cap in 2007. She was 19 and still at university. She played in a draw against Argentina. Her England debut followed in 2008.

Olympic and European Championships

Sam was not chosen for the London 2012 Olympic Games. However, she played for England in the 2013 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship. She also played in the 2014 Women's Hockey World Cup. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, her team won a silver medal.

Sam Quek (on the right) playing against Argentina in 2016

In 2014, Sam captained the England team during the Hockey Champions Trophy in Argentina. She played every game, even though she broke two ribs in the first match. In August 2015, Sam was part of the England team that won gold at the European Championships in London. She was named Player of the Match in the final against the Netherlands.

Olympic Gold Medal

In August 2016, Sam competed in the Rio Olympic Games. The team won all five of their group matches. They beat Australia, India, Argentina, Japan, and the United States.

Great Britain then beat Spain in the quarter-finals and New Zealand in the semi-finals. This led them to the final. The team won against the Netherlands in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw. This was Great Britain's first Olympic gold medal in women's hockey. During the competition, Sam earned her 50th cap for Great Britain.

Medical Permissions and Fair Play

In September 2016, some information about athletes' medical permissions was shared. This included Sam Quek. She had been granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for an inhaler in 2008. This meant she had permission to use a specific medication for a medical reason. Sam stated that she always followed all sports rules. She was concerned that such leaks could make it harder for athletes to get important medical help in the future.

Beyond Hockey: Football and Media

Sam Quek has also shown talent in football and has a successful career in media.

Football Interests

Sam was signed to Tranmere Rovers F.C. as a junior player. When she was 16, she had to choose between hockey and football. She decided to focus on hockey. In 2018, Sam played in a charity football match for Sport Relief. She was even offered a trial with the Liverpool Ladies team.

Television and Presenting Career

In May 2016, Sam appeared on the BBC game show For What It's Worth with her husband. They won £2,500. Later that year, in November, she was on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. She finished in fourth place.

Sam has been a presenter for many sports shows. She covered The NFL Show, rugby union, field hockey, and football. In 2017, she became a sports writer for the Metro newspaper. She also wrote for the Daily Mirror newspaper. In 2019, she started hosting the BBC football radio show 606 with Robbie Savage. In 2020, she was a finalist on Celebrity Masterchef.

In July 2021, Sam became a team captain on Question of Sport. She was the first permanent female captain on the show. She also co-hosted BBC's Olympic Breakfast for the Tokyo Olympic Games. In November 2021, Sam won £16,000 for charity on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

Since January 2022, Sam has been hosting the BBC One show Morning Live. In February 2023, she co-hosted the opening ceremony of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool. In October 2023, she appeared on Richard Osman's House of Games. In June 2024, Sam released a children's book called Roar: A celebration of Great Sporting Women. In August 2024, it was announced that Sam would be a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Personal Life

Sam Quek is married to Tom Mairs, who works in property. She is a big fan of Liverpool football club. She also supports the Kansas City Chiefs American football team.

Sam was awarded an MBE in 2017 for her services to hockey. An MBE is a special honor given by the King or Queen. In 2018, she published her autobiography, Sam Quek: Hope and a Hockey Stick.

Sam became a mother to a daughter, Molly Doris Mairs, in March 2021. In March 2022, she welcomed her second child, a son named Isaac Gregory Mairs.

See also

In Spanish: Sam Quek para niños