'I promised you I'd win gold': Rio Olympics gold winner Sam Quek's emotional reunion with her nan
An Olympic gold medallist has paid an emotional visit to her 95-year-old grandmother who suffered a stroke while she was competing in Rio.
Sam Quek, a member of Team GB's successful women's hockey team, was told her grandmother, Dolly, had suffered a stroke after playing in Saturday's final.
Her family decided not to tell her earlier.
Team GB flew in to Heathrow on a specially chartered plane on Tuesday morning to great fanfare, however Sam decided to catch a flight to Manchester Airport straight away to visit Dolly in hospital in Wirral.
Speaking to her grandmother after arriving at the hospital ward, she said: "I wanted to come up here and see you - I've left the team in London. You were my priority, Nanna, to coming back."
They shared an emotional embrace when Sam entered the ward, and holding back tears, she told her grandmother: "I promised you, didn't I, that I'd come back with a gold medal - and I'm so so glad that you can see it now."
She brought with her red, blue and white flowers - the colours of Team GB - as well as her Olympic gold medal.
Looking towards Dolly and pointing to her medal, she said: "You should probably have one of these yourself, for what you've been through the past few weeks... Here's the real champion.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here when everything went off, but I think you've had a really rough time."
Speaking of her granddaughter's achievement, Dolly said: "I can't believe it. I just keep looking at her, I just can't believe that she's here and that she would... come to me.
"She's worked so hard for this medal, and then for her to come... lovely."
Sam Quek added: "I'm so overwhelmed, I'm just welling up just talking about it. My Nanna means so much to me".
"The family did quite well not to tell me [of her grandmother's life-threatening condition], knowing how much of an impact that would probably have on my performance, let alone my whole mindset.
"When I found out [after the final against the Netherlands on Saturday], everyone was in the changing room celebrating, champagne and medals, and I just burst out into tears and quickly ran out the changing room.
"I didn't want to take it away from everyone, what had happened".
However the 95-year-old managed to watch her compete in the final, from her hospital bed in Merseyside.
"As soon as I got sent a picture of my Nan...watching the match...I felt so much better.
"To see my Nan looking so proud with her face, it just broke my heart - but in a good way."