How Rugby’s Ilona Maher Became a Body Positivity Queen at the Olympics
2024 Olympics: Tom Cruise, Billie Eilish & More Stars Who Rocked the Closing Ceremony in Paris & LA!
Ilona Maher is dominating her field.
And we aren’t just talking about the rugby pitch. Because while the 28-year-old—who celebrated her birthday Aug. 12—has already proven to be a star player (we’ll let her performance at the 2024 Olympics and bronze medal speak for themselves) she’s also a star on social media.
But don’t take our word for it. Just ask Maher’s 2.3 million followers on TikTok. At this year’s Games in Paris, she’s won the gold in fans’ hearts by sharing everything from her “Olympic Fit Check” and takes on the cardboard beds to her new enthusiasm for handball and experiences at the Olympic Village—or the “Olympic Villa,” as she called it, à la Love Island.
And along the way, Maher met several other big names—posing for pics with Snoop Dogg and Katie Ledecky, joking about “trying to relate” to Coco Gauff by telling the tennis star how she once played pickleball and officially turning Jason Kelce into a women’s rugby fan.
“Do you get anything from being our super fan? No,” she told the former Philadelphia Eagles player in a July 28 video. “There’s no money, no benefits. I don’t think I can even give you free stuff.”
In addition to championing her sport, Maher is a champion for celebrating all bodies.
“As the Olympics officially start today, I want you all to take a look at all the different body types on display,” she said in a July 26 video ahead of the Opening Ceremony. “All body types matter. All body types are worthy, from the smallest gymnast to the tallest volleyball player, from a rugby player to a shot-putter to a sprinter. All body types are beautiful, can do amazing things. So truly see yourself in these athletes and know that you can do it, too.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TIME
And the athlete hopes she can continue to tackle stereotypes and empower others.
“I think there has always been a divide,” she told CBS Mornings in an interview that aired July 29. “People believing that, oh, when you play sports, if you’re an athlete, you can’t be feminine. I feel that I can be a beast and can play this very physical, aggressive sport while also keeping my femininity while I do it.”
“People would always call me masculine, and I didn’t understand that,” she added. “But now, I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s a purpose here for it.’ I can stiff-arm, and I can fend, and I can get up and tackle as hard as I can. And that’s why I want other women to even just get in the gym and lift weights. Like, see what your body can do. Get to a point where you can do a pull-up. ‘Oh, man! I’m so powerful. I can do this.’ I just think it gave me a new perspective on my body.”
For her birthday this year, Maher told her followers to keep the celebrations low-key.
“Hey guys, it is my birthday tomorrow,” she said in an Aug. 11 Instagram Stories video. “You don’t have to make it a big deal. Like, you don’t have to do anything special. Just like some cakes, balloons, confetti. Like, a big rager. But other than that, super chill.”
You know, like kicking off the festivities by attending the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony. Posting a video of her and her fellow Team USA members rocking their uniforms and counting down to her birthday, Maher captioned the clip, “HBD to me.”
To see more photos from the Closing Ceremony, keep reading.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family).
This story was originally published July 30, 2024 at 1:37 p.m. PST.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App