Great Britain hockey star Sam Quek charts her journey from despair to champion in autobiography

Being left out of the squad for London 2012 was a hammer blow for Sam Quek.

“The greatest party was about to hit these shores — and I wasn’t invited,” recalls Quek, who was so hurt she didn’t want them to win gold without her.Four years later, though, she helped make history as GB women claimed their first Olympic hockey title.

In her autobiography, Hope and a Hockey Stick, Quek charts her journey from despair to champion and talks of life after Rio.In this extract she reveals the tension as the squad was about to be revealed.

Even though I knew the email would land pretty much bang on six, I kept refreshing my messages just in case. It was a warm, sunny day and Mum and Dad opened their patio doors so we could sit outside. Tom [her boyfriend] was quiet. I’m sure he was thinking in his head: ‘How will I pick her up from this if she is not selected?’

He had already arranged a Plan B. On his laptop he had flights and a hotel bookmarked in the event of bad news. This would form part of a month-long trip to Italy he had planned for while the Olympics were on. Then it arrived.

It got straight to the point: ‘The following athletes have been selected for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro …’

The squads are usually listed by first name, which means my name is normally down the bottom alphabetically, if it’s there. I glanced and had a mini-panic. I couldn’t see my name. Oh God! Please not again! I scanned. And scanned again.

Finally. There it was — a bit higher than usual as it was listed on a surname basis. I was actually up near the middle. That’s maybe how I missed it. Or maybe I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

It was definitely there: Quek, Sam.

I looked up, expressionless. Tom and my parents were looking at me. Their faces all said: ‘Well, come on. Have you been selected or not?’

‘Yes!’ I screamed out.

‘YEEEEESSSS!!!’ The neighbours must have wondered what the hell was going on. My face was red, my eyes were bulging and the veins were popping out the side of my head.

It was a scream that I had bottled up, the intensity of which had grown over 10 years. It was a scream that with every day that passed, the pressure was turned up another notch. It was a scream to the skies to let everyone know I hadn’t let them down. Every selfish action — every time there was an empty chair where I should have been, every text I had to send that started ‘I would love to be there but …’ – had all been for this moment. It was a moment that had never been promised to me, but I had hoped and dreamt for so long would come. It was relief — at last.

‘Oh, Sam.’ My mum was in bits. She was so happy. I burst into tears.

Big hugs all round. My mum and dad were overjoyed. I was so proud for them. They had invested years of their lives in me solely for my happiness and right now I couldn’t be happier.

I think all the lows of 2012 made this high seem so much greater.

The Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup comes to London from July 21 to August 5. Tickets from £22 for a family of four at seetickets.com/hockeyworldcup