Sam Quek said she was surprised by the abuse she received when news broke she would be joining the broadcast team for Aintree next week

British Olympic gold medallist Sam Quek has answered back to critics who posted negative comments to news she would be part of the ITV Racing team at the Grand National meeting.

Quek, 36, has successfully transitioned from being a member of the winning GB women’s hockey team at the 2016 London Games to a career in television. She worked as a BBC presenter at the Tokyo Olympics, has covered football, NFL and rugby union and appeared on reality shows including Strictly Come Dancing and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Quek, from Liverpool, is also an enthusiastic horse racing fan who has owned horses that have run at the Cheltenham Festival and the 1,000 Guineas.

But reaction to her addition to the ITV Racing stable next week included comments on X such as “Grand National ruined”, “What knowledge or expertise does she bring to it?”

Quek addressed the response in an interview with the Racing Post describing it as “a bit like hysteria.”