CrossFit Games Rookie Spotlight: Australia’s Daisy McDonald Defers Final Year at University, Prepares for First Games Appearance
In her second Oceania Semifinal appearance, Australia’s Daisy McDonald secured a third-place finish and her first ticket to the Games.
The former high-level gymnast, McDonald is no stranger to elite competition.
- “I did gymnastics for 13-14 years. I competed for Victoria (Australia) at the National Championships all the way up to Level 10,” she told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview. (Editor’s Note: Gymnasts who reach “Level 10” have demonstrated the skills necessary to qualify for an Olympic team.)
After retiring from gymnastics at the end of high school in 2019, McDonald wanted to find a new avenue to compete, so her mother and brother encouraged her to join them at Wolfe Den CrossFit, their local box.
- “I remember my dad put the CrossFit Games on the TV, and I was like, ‘I really want to go there; that would be sick,’” she said.
Two months after discovering CrossFit, the COVID pandemic swept the globe, and McDonald’s home city of Melbourne was hit with the longest lockdown in the world at 262 days.
[Related: Best Tasting Protein Powders]
Making Use of Lockdown
With a well-equipped home gym and a whole lot of time on her hands, McDonald passed the time by working out as she shares:
- “We went in and out of lockdown for a year and a half,” McDonald said. “Mom is big into CrossFit, too, so there was a little bit of clashing going on [between] mom and daughter in terms of when we were each going to use the gym [at home].”
McDonald was keen to return to the CrossFit gym once the restrictions eased and gyms reopened in October 2021. Once that happened, she started following Mayhem Athlete programming.
Building on her gymnastics background, McDonald easily picked up many of the high-skill CrossFit movements. However, building strength has been and continues to be a major priority for her.
- “When I made the transition over to CrossFit, some things were easy, like bar muscle-ups and things like overhead squats, because of the positioning. But then there were definitely a lot of things that were and still are taking a lot of time, like my strength,” McDonald shared.
McDonald has been working with coach Zac Hare this season to identify and improve her weaknesses, specifically general strength and upper body pressing.
Smashing Semifinals
McDonald’s consistency at the Oceania Semifinals shows that she’s been able to fill the gaps in her fitness. She placed 11th or higher in all six Semifinals workouts, with her favorite being Event 3, the 10-round triplet of Echo bike calories, legless rope climbs, and high box jump overs.
- “I’ve put a lot of work into legless rope climbs and to see them pay off like that was really awesome,” she said.
McDonald struggled with legless rope climbs at the Down Under Championship in 2022, completing only one of the required six in the workout.
- “To do 13 [legless rope climbs in Event 3] and get through it and have fun was a highlight for sure,” she said, smiling.
[Related: Best Squat Racks]
Preparing for the Games
This has been a busy year for the 22-year-old. Besides securing her first spot at the Games, McDonald is also in her fourth and final year as a physiotherapy student.
With the Games less than two months away, McDonald has had to defer her final University placement until later on in the year.
- “I was supposed to go back on [University] placement halfway through July, but I told them that I’m going to Texas,” she said. “Which means that I won’t graduate with everyone, unfortunately, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”
As a Mayhem athlete, McDonald plans to train in Cookeville, TN, for a couple of weeks before the Games so she can acclimate to the temperatures and prepare to peak for Fort Worth.
- “It will be a dream come true [to train at CrossFit Mayhem], and then head over to Texas,” she said.
McDonald has set realistic goals heading into her rookie season at the Games but wants to make it through any possible cuts and compete through the weekend.
Like many Aussie CrossFit athletes before her, McDonald is looking forward to seeing something a little “outside the box” when it comes to Games events.
- “I’m looking forward to a swimming event, or something really Gamesy. Something that you’re never going to see at a Semifinals. I want to have lots of fun,” she said.
The Bottom Line
McDonald has had a consistent 2024 season thus far. She placed fourth in Oceania in Quarterfinals and third at the Torian Pro. But she still feels like she’s flying under the radar.
She has our full attention now, and we’re excited to see what this Aussie rookie can do in Fort Worth when she hits the floor as an individual in August.
Featured image: @frog_grips/ Instagram