Her opponent on the day was The Netherlands’ Reshmie Oogink.

“I knew that Oogink was going to be a very complicated fight, I had never fought with her before,” Espinoza said. “But I wanted a lot to fight with her, I like to fight with the best!”

As the match got underway, Oogink proved herself unintimidated by Espinoza’s thunderous support and seized an early lead. Espinoza shot back with her patented overhand counterpunch, a technique that is rare in kick-heavy taekwondo, but which Espinoza has made her own.

But by the third round, the Dutch fighter was still ahead on the scoreboard. With the seconds ticking away, Espinoza launched an all-out attack, firing off a series of spinning back kicks in an effort to claw back points with the high-scoring, but risky technique.

It was in vain. She was unable to connect and the match ended 4-2, with Oogink taking the gold and Espinoza the silver. 

“I got a little disconcerted by the two points in the first round and physically I did not feel too good to overcome that obstacle,” the Mexican said in her post-match analysis.

Even so, winning silver at this elite level of competition is hardly anything to be ashamed of. “I am very happy with the result,” she said before conceding, “But I wanted gold.”

The 27-year-old is a national heroine in Mexico, with an Olympic gold from Beijing 2008, an Olympic bronze from London 2012 and the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships under her 2nd dan black belt.

Obviously competitive, Espinoza is a formidable presence. Striking looking - with wide, olive-skinned cheekbones and dark, fierce-looking eyes - she seems intensely focused, speaks emphatically and moves with grace and power.

In terms of physique, she admits that she is not as tall and leggy as many of her competitors, and her physique provides a clue to her fighting style: Espinoza is a power hitter.

So where does her famed counterpunch come from?

“I used to box when I was very young,” she said. That is where the technique comes from - she continues to hone it on the dummy - but she says she does not know where she got the timing to land it. It may be something to do with where she comes from: She hails from the same state as Julio Cesar Chavez, Mexico’s most famous boxer (a sport Espinoza no longer practices, but likes to watch).

Yet Espinoza is not a one-technique fighter. She also likes to use spinning back-kicks, and a chain of left-right-left-right turning kicks to the body - “bap-bap-bap-barrap!” in her own words. Asked to describe her personal style of taekwondo, she thinks for a moment before responding: “I am aggressive but I take care of points at the same time, I don’t lose control. I am very dangerous!”

Her year-round training includes circuit training and special physical training to strengthen legwork, such as kicking against an elastic restraint. Espinoza’s training encompasses both traditional and games-style taekwondo.

In the run-up to a competition, she downgrades the strength training and works more on speed and kicking “to feel light, relaxed and elastic”, while wearing the specific PSS to be used.

But her powerful style of taekwondo is not best suited to the current format, which favors light, touch contact off the front leg, she fretted.

“I have a little problem with the new [electronic scoring] systems compared to the old style; with any touch, the sensor makes points,” she said. “I am a strong kicker but normally the PSS system is not that strong; if you hit it too hard, it does not register.” However, she has seen how other competitors have adjusted to the changing sensitivities of the scoring system. “Other competitors have overcome that, they try to fix their problems to be acquainted with the system.”

Although she said she does not like appearing on TV and in newspapers, she is clearly a public figure.

During the photo shoot for this article, it proved difficult to get her out of the venue due to the dozens of Mexicans squealing “Maria!” and begging for signatures and photographs. She is sometimes recognised on the streets and in restaurants, and this high profile has won her corporate attention: Her sponsors include Coca Cola and athletic wear maker Under Armor.

And Espinoza is not just a warrior in taekwondo competition, she is the real deal: She is a private soldier with two-and-a-half years service in the Mexican Army, which provides full-time sport training for elite competitors, “as long as I am winning!”

As for the future, she hopes to possibly run a business or operate a string of taekwondo academies. The latter ambition seems feasible, given the sport’s popularity in Mexico.

Is there any particular reason why taekwondo is so popular in the country?

“The Mexican character is like saying,’ No Stop,’” she said.

“In boxing, there are many champions in Mexico and all the people want to be champions, all want to fight better. Taekwondo is the same.”