Strictly Come Dancing 2024 confirms Olympic gold medallist as new contestant
Strictly Come Dancing is back for its 20th year, and former hockey player and gold medallist Sam Quek will take part.
![Sam Quek MBE Sam Quek in front of a blue background for Strictly Come Dancing](https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2024/08/Sam-Quek-MBE-162c726.jpg?quality=90&resize=980,654)
Strictly Come Dancing will soon be returning to our screens for yet another year, and it's a special one - as the dancing competition will be celebrating its 20th anniversary.
After the announcement of some of the other celebrities taking part in the 2024 season, which so far includes Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Dr Punam Krishan, Tasha Ghouri and Pete Wicks, it has been revealed that Sam Quek will be competing for the Glitterball Trophy.
She will be following in the footsteps of some sports icons who've taken to the dance floor in recent years, such as tennis player Annabel Croft last year and swimmer Ellie Simmonds in 2022.
But who is Sam Quek? Read on to find out more about the gold medallist and Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant.
Who is Sam Quek?
![BMW PGA Championship - Previews Sam Quek swinging a golf club](https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2024/08/GettyImages-1175530800-c5283a9.jpg?quality=90&fit=700,467)
Age: 35
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Job: Hockey player
Instagram: @samquek13
Twitter/X: @SamanthaQuek
Sam Quek is a former hockey player who played the sport from a young age.
She was a part of the team that won gold at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival, and alongside her teammates also picked up silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
In 2016, she was selected to be on the hockey team for the Rio Olympics, in which they won gold for Great Britain.
Since then, she has become a TV and radio presenter, and hosts BBC Morning Live, covers sports for various broadcasters, and helms a team on A Question of Sport.
Sam is also no stranger to TV competitions, as she was in the Australian Outback for I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2016, and appeared on many celebrity versions of game shows, such as Pointless and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
What has Sam Quek said about joining Strictly Come Dancing 2024?
![Sam Quek Sam Quek smiling against a red background](https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2024/08/Untitled-design-6-d9da426.jpg?quality=90&fit=700,467)
When she was announced for this year's season of Strictly, Quek said: "As a former hockey player, I’m used to playing as part of a team, but the thought of dancing on the ballroom floor in front of a live audience is quite daunting!
"I’m chuffed to be a part of this legendary show and quickstep into the shoes of a performer, it feels absolutely surreal but I’m ready for every bit of the adventure."
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Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn.
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