AS quiz questions go, it’s not a bad one. A poser that would get the most ardent of pub team regulars scratching their collective heads.

Who won Team GB’s last medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games?

The choices are as vast as they are varied given that the Union flag was hoisted 29 times at venues around the capital and across the country while individuals and teams stepped on to the podium a further 36 times - 17 as silver medal winners, 19 as bronze.

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But Samantha Murray knows the answer.

Not because she is something of a quiz fan herself, having graced our television screens as a Question of Sport team member or on Celebrity Pointless.

Samantha Murray knows the answer because she is the answer.

When the 25-year-old won a silver medal in the modern pentathlon in the final event on the final day of the Games, she earned a place in the nation’s heart - and a place in the quiz master’s note book.

“It’s a great record to have, isn’t it,” said Murray recalling the day she was cheered home at Greenwich Park on a sunny August afternoon. “I’m very proud of it and making pub quizzes around the country is pretty cool.”

Murray has been coming up with the answers ever since in a sport that combines swimming, fencing, horse riding, shooting and running.

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The former Bowland High School student - who also studied at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School sixth form - has twice been British champion since 2012 and last year became world champion for the first time in her career.

Now she is hoping to add the European crown to her collection.

And when the European Championships get under way in Bath next month, memories of London 2012 will come flooding back.

“The event should be superb,” said the multi tasker from Clitheroe who has lived and studied in Bath since 2009. “It is the first time a major modern pentathlon event has been held in this country since the Olympics and there is a lot of excitement around the place.”

But Murray won’t be reaching for her dvd collection any time soon in search of inspiration as she has never seen her Olympic medal success on TV..

“I’ve never watched it back,” she said. “It’s just something I have never done.”

However, when you can still recall the event as clear as day there is no need to stick the dvd player on.

“I remember every part of the day,” said Murray, a member of Blackburn Harriers and who learnt to swim with Clitheroe Dolphins. “I draw on it for experience and I also treasure it as an incredible day in my life.

“Now at the European Championships, I have another opportunity to go and make some more happy memories.”

Murray’s Olympic success - even in a sport not deemed as mainstream - catapulted her in to the spotlight and thanks to her affable, on-screen nature, she has remained there ever since.

From playing piano live in a TV challenge to advertising campaigns, TV quiz shows to sports programmes, Murray have revelled in front of the cameras.

“I love working in the media,” said Murray. “I am comfortable in front of a TV camera or talking on a radio and that is something I would like to do more of but hopefully that will be a long time in the future.”

However, it hasn’t all been smooth running in front of the camera, especially when it comes to ‘drifting’ - the art of driving a high powered car sideways around a race track.

Murray appeared on the Channel Five programme Fifth Gear which is hosted by Tiff Needell.

“I crashed the car in to a wall and we had to stop,” admitted Murray. “So give me trying to jump on a horse I have never ridden before over drifting any day!”

However, she hasn’t veered off course too often.

She relinquished her world crown in Berlin earlier this month which was down to the combination of the scorching heat and a poor round of fencing. But she was proud of the way she battled back to finish in fifth place - something that gives her optimism going in to the European Championships at the University of Bath’s Sports Training Village from August 18-23 Murray considers the picturesque Somerset spar town as home from home but there will be plenty of familiar faces making the trip down from East Lancashire to support her.

“I will have lots of friends and family coming down from Clitheroe to cheer me on and I hope they can spur me on just like I did when at London 2012,” she said.

Victory in Bath would secure a place at the Rio Olympics but Murray is not looking that far ahead.

“It is a big incentive but I am not worrying too much about winning or thinking about Rio. It will just be a case of trying to get everything right on the day,” she said.

That said, Murray would love nothing more than to know the answer to another quiz question - name the GB athlete who added the European Modern Pentathlon Championship to her British and World titles?

  • Samantha Murray is sponsored by Bowker Mini (Preston Docks).
  • More details on Samantha Murray can be found on Twitter: @_samanthamurray Facebook: www.facebook.com/samanthamurraypent and Instagram: samanthamurrayinsta