Ilona Maher quickly made a name for herself, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, where she helped the U.S. women’s rugby team win the Bronze Medal. It was Team U.S.’s first ever Olympic medal in women’s rugby sevens. She has not only shook the world with her fast, powerful and competitive style of play, but she also won the hearts of fans all over the world with her positivity and sense of humor.
Throughout the U.S. women’s rugby’s historical Olympic performance, Maher began gaining a large following due to her popularity on social media platforms, primarily Instagram and TikTok.
Maher prides herself on advocating for strong, muscular and athletic women such as herself. In today’s world, many women struggle with body image, due to its ever-changing perceptions in the media. Maher has made waves through her content, which aims to spread body positivity for all women.
In the September issue of Sports Illustrated, Maher was featured with many photos displaying not only her athletic build, but also her confidence.
“I love that [rugby] showed me what I can do. It showed me how capable my body is and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified,” Maher said.
Maher’s impact on body positivity and women empowerment didn’t stop there. Throughout the fall, Maher competed on the TV show “Dancing with the Stars,” where she was named runner-up and continued to advocate for women and girls on national television. She did so specifically through her final dance, where she and her professional dancing partner Alan Bersten performed a freestyle dance to the song “Femininomenon” by Chappell Roan.
Before performing her final dance, Maher let the viewers in on the meaning behind the song and dance, in conversation with Bersten.
“I chose this song for all the girls that see themselves within me, I am strong and powerful but I can also be graceful. So I think the mirrorball won’t be so much for me, I think it will be for all the girls who have been told they are too big, or they’re too muscular and they’re not pretty,” Maher said.
Bersten was then in full agreement with Maher’s idea, adding his overwhelming support for Maher as a person. The pair performed a legendary dance and went on to finish the show in second place.
Following the completion of “Dancing with the Stars” production, Maher has returned to rugby training — this time for a new team. The Bristol Bears, a professional women’s rugby team competing in Premiership Rugby out of Bristol, England, signed Maher to a short three-month contract, which is effective in January of 2025.
Head Coach Dave Ward is excited to have “one of the biggest names in women’s sport” as part of his program. The Bears compete with the XV’s style of play, consisting of eight forwards and seven backs on the field at a time. In the Olympics, Maher competed in the sevens style of play, which is only three forwards and four backs on the field. Even with this change, Ward is not worried about Maher’s impact. He feels that she will contribute both on and off the field, and is looking forward to seeing how the “standout star” in the sevens game will expand her game into XVs.
Looking to the future, Maher has a jam-packed but exciting schedule. She plans to attend some of the “Dancing with the Stars” tour dates to continue performing for her fans. Maher also has goals of earning a spot on team U.S.A. to compete in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. She hopes that training with the Bristol Bears will help her be in the best position to do so.
In a media-driven world, Maher is a shining example of how to create positivity while setting an example for women and girls all around the world. She continues to break through barriers of what being feminine means, proving to the world that you really can do both, as she spent the summer bulldozing through the competition at the Olympics, before transitioning to dancing with beauty and grace throughout the season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Ilona Maher is an inspiration to all girls and women, and especially those in sports. With an exciting future ahead, Maher will continue to shed light on body positivity and female empowerment.
