After finishing 12th in Madison, Wisconsin, the 32-year-old was bedridden with Covid-19 for three weeks, and it took her another six weeks to fully recover.

She struggled to train because of inflammation in her back and hips, and lost all of her hard-earned strength and fitness. But with the Rouge Invitationals just around the corner, McQuaid recovered just enough to get in about two weeks of solid preparation.

“Before Rouge, I didn’t want to train, I could’t be arsed any more,” she said. “My body hurt, everything hurt, I didn’t want to do this. I wasn’t in a good place.

“Thankfully, after going to Rouge, it was probably the best thing I could do as it relit the fire – I realised this I what I want. To turn it around and love training again, this last eight weeks training has been the best block I’ve had in a long time.”

McQuaid went into Wodapalooza quietly confident she could stand on the podium.

Her decision to ask compatriot Michael Smith – who finished 26th at the 2019 Games, and lives just half an hour away from her – to become her full time training partner after Rogue paid off in spades.

“We do conditioning seven days a week, a mixture between long, short, swimming and everything, McQuaid said. “And I thought I was pushing myself. I’m always wearing my heart rate monitor and hitting the targets. But I’m finding a new level of motivation and push now I have a partner.

“When you see he’s hurting as much as you’re hurting, you thrive off it and push a bit more. I’m trying to keep up. I have an extra push because no one wants to lose. When someone is suffering along with you, you don’t really feel sorry for yourself.”

McQuaid has also been ultra competitive – even at school sports days, she would hate to finish second.

She’s unclear where that particular trait comes from, as it doesn’t run in the family. But it’s not just CrossFit that’s a competitive outlet – she has also represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in weightlifting and does quad bike racing.

“I went back and raced the quad in September, and I haven’t done it in two and a half years, but as soon as the helmet went on, I thought I do not want to lose. I don’t know where it comes from, I’m just a freak and I want to push and be the best I can be,” she said.

McQuaid also celebrated another victory, in learning to finally open up to her coach, James Darcy, ahead of the tournament in Miami.

“The win was me admitting I was nervous rather than just bottling things up,” she said. “I wouldn’t have opened up to anyone, until about [the] 2019/2020 [season].

“I’ve changed and grown as an athlete. I just think instead of me holding it all back, I say ‘I’m absolutely bricking it, but I’m excited’ and we just have a conversation.

“It can be chatting over the game plan, warm ups … it’s just reassuring to know you’re thinking the right thing. Just making sure everything is correct before you go out on the competition floor. It’s better than holding it in.”

McQuaid also made sure to a week off after her Wodapalooza win, to allow herself to mentally and physically reset – something else she was not always good at taking seriously.

“I never had time off training until I changed coaches, and I remember when James took me on, my first programme was two weeks rest,” she said. “I’m paying this guy and he’s giving me two weeks rest? What’s going on? But it’s good. When it’s time to go we go, when it’s time to rest we rest.”

McQuaid is now building towards the CrossFit Games in August, but first she has to get through the quarter- and semi-finals.

“We’ll never take the semi-finals for granted and we will train for it, but we will also train for swimming and other Games-based workouts through the year,” she added.

“My ultimate aim is to be in the top 10 at the Games, and I just fell short of it this year by two spots. I want to be in that final heat from start to finish.”