She is known for being the 'Fittest Woman in Ireland', and Emma McQuaid flexed her muscle once again last weekend.
The 32-year-old has secured her place at this summer's CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
She did it after earning a podium finish at the CrossFit Strength in Depth semi-final in London.
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Competing against 26 other athletes from Europe, McQuaid battled it out over three days with Norwegian athlete Jacqueline Dahlstrom who claimed the win.
Consistency was the theme over the weekend for McQuaid, placing inside the top seven in all six events and earning an event win in workout two.
But who is Emma McQuaid?
Here's some more info...
Profile
- Name: Emma McQuaid
- Age: 32
- Where from: Emma is originally from Newry but now resides in Lisburn
When did she get into CrossFit?
Emma started CrossFit when she was 24, and over the past eight years she has steadily climbed the ranks at both domestic and international level. She actually started out as a quad bike racer, competing from the age of six and making it all the way to the Premier Championship, the highest level you can get to in Europe.
Why CrossFit?
Emma took up CrossFit to improve her strength and fitness for quad racing. She said she wanted to be "fitter and stronger than every fella on the track".
Early progress
Emma took part in her first CrossFit Open in 2014, and jumped an incredible 6,444 positions by the time she took on her next one, climbing to 30th by her second year.
Success
Emma has been Ireland’s CrossFit National Champion for the past three years. She has also competed at three CrossFit Games - akin to the Olympics in the discipline - improving her position from 20th to 12th. This year she won the world-renowned Wodapalooza which was her first individual gold at an elite competition. Emma finished ahead of over 40 of the best female CrossFit athletes in the world to pick up $100,000 in prize money. The win also saw her ranked sixth in the world.
Injuries come with the territory
As with any sport, injuries are part and parcel of many athletes' journeys. Emma is no different, having undergone major shoulder surgery back in 2016.
Speaking in 2017, she said: "My whole shoulder needed reattached.
"The surgery was not straight forward and there were some complications. I needed four more injections two weeks ago so it is still ongoing.
"The shoulder itself is perfect. My surgeon was amazing and he did a wonderful job. But it is bicep tendon that has caused some problems. I just have to learn how to control them."
Commonwealth Games experience
Emma represented Northern Ireland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast, finishing fourth in the 63kg Weightlifting event.
Another CrossFit Games
Emma will compete at her fourth CrossFit Games this summer.
She finished a career-best 12th at last year's Games, an event which sees the world's fittest people compete at a massive elite competition.
Australia’s Tia-Clair Toomey won in 2021 for the fifth consecutive year after coming out on top against 39 other athletes who competed in a gruelling five-day event.
Looking ahead to this year's Games, which will run from August 3-7, Emma told BOXROX: “To be heading back to the CrossFit Games is an incredible feeling. The weekend was only made more special by getting to share the competition one more time with Briggsy, who has helped me along my CrossFit journey so much, as well as hearing my Irish supporters cheer me on throughout. I’m excited to see what I can do at Madison this year – bring it on!”
Held in high regard
Emma almost missed out on the CrossFit Games last year after Covid travel issues prevented her from flying from Dublin to the USA.
The CrossFit Games eventually sent a letter to US Homeland Security explaining that the Co Down athlete was “one of the best in the world”.
The letter from the organisers stated: “From a field of over 264,000 athletes, Emma distinguished herself as one of the best in the world during the CrossFit Open this year and went on to finish first in the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown semi final to earn her place.”
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