Ilona Maher became one of the heroes of the Paris Olympics after leading the U.S. rugby team to its first Olympic medal for men or women.
The 27-year-old, frequently dressed in bright red lipstick, helped Team USA take home the bronze medal in a heart-stopping victory over Australia on Tuesday.
Following her win, the Vermont native spoke to CNBC about investing in women's sports, how the win will help rugby grow and how she's built a brand that includes millions of followers on social media.
Maher said she has been focused on the 2024 Summer Olympics for the past three years and that the team's existence after the games was not guaranteed.
“Our coach told us that if we didn't win a medal, we might not have a program next year, and those words really stuck with me, and so we did,” Maher said.
Following the win against Australia, there was more good news for American rugby. Businesswoman and investor Michele Kang, who also owns professional soccer teams, announced a $4 million donation to the U.S. women's rugby sevens team in an effort to grow the sport. Sevens refers to teams made up of up to seven people in that form of rugby.
Maher said the donation, which will be made over the next four years leading up to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, will give the team a much-needed boost.
“I'm so glad people are paying attention to this,” Maher said. “We're trying to make this program better for all the women who came before us, who had to work full-time to do it, and to make it better for all those who come after us.”
Maher said smart investors will realize that investing in women's sports is good business and that there is money to be made.
“The personalities in women's sport are very different from those in men's sports. I think the way people connect with women is something special.”
Maher's path to an Olympic medal
Maher didn't start playing the sport until she was 17. As a former field hockey, basketball and soccer player, she picked it up quickly and never looked back.
She was recruited by Quinnipiac University, where she played center and helped the team win three national championships. She was named the nation's top college rugby player in 2017.
Since college, Maher competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and then represented the U.S. at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in South Africa.
Team USA's Ilona Maher, No. 2, runs with the ball under pressure from Team Great Britain's No. 7 Emma Uren, during the women's rugby sevens quarter-final match between Team Great Britain and Team USA on day three of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France in Paris, France on July 29, 2024.
Michael Steele | Getty Images
Maher said she has a degree in nursing, but hasn't put it to use yet. Instead, she said she's been building her brand on social media to complement her athletic career. She currently has more than two million followers on Instagram and another two million on TikTok.
“I want this to be what I can do for the rest of my life,” Maher said of his athletic career.
“I knew that platforms like TikTok and Instagram could be the way to build a brand, get my name out there… so it's been really cool to develop that,” she added.
The 1.78m Olympic medallist has also made a name for herself by promoting body positivity. She has represented brands such as Secret deodorant and reminded her followers that “all body types can be Olympic athletes”.
She's also not afraid to show her silly side, whether it's testing out the cardboard beds in the Olympic village in Paris, turning soccer star Jason Kelce into a rugby fanatic, or being a fan of Snoop Dogg.
After the Olympics, Maher said she is ready for a much-needed break.
“I'm going to throw my phone in the lake and not look at it for a week,” he said.
“I think it's about spending time with family, being able to relax and focus in some way, and making some money,” he added.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC, owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics holds the U.S. broadcast rights to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.
