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People tuning in to the Paris 2024 Olympics may know Ilona Maher as the star player for the U.S. women's rugby team, but fans on TikTok have loved Maher long before she won her first Olympic medal.
The 27-year-old rugby sevens player helped lead Team USA to its first-ever bronze medal in rugby on Tuesday after defeating Australia 14-12. Fans of Maher, who has 1.9 million followers on TikTok, were ecstatic about the athlete's victory and declared there was no one more deserving of the recognition.
Maher, who also reached two million followers on Instagram after winning the bronze medal, has been a fan favourite both on and off the rugby field. She initially gained recognition online at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games for her viral images inside the Olympic Village, including her hilarious review of the cardboard beds and her thirst for fellow Olympians.
Not only has Maher become one of the most popular Olympians on TikTok, but she has also become a vocal advocate for body positivity and self-love.
Who is Ilona Maher?
According to the Team USA website, Maher is a native of Burlington, Vermont. She began playing rugby at age 17 and later played collegiately at Quinnipiac University for three years. Maher plays center on the U.S. women's rugby team.
His father, Meineke Maher, also played rugby for St Michael's College in Vermont.
Why is it viral on TikTok?
Maher has gained millions of followers on TikTok for his fun Olympic-themed content. After landing in France for the 2024 Paris Olympics, he jokingly compared the Olympic Village to the hit dating reality show, Island of love. In a video with more than seven million views, Maher had to remind people that he is going to the summer games to play rugby, not to find love.
However the Island of love The comparisons didn't stop when she revealed in another viral video how her teammate, Naya Tapper, got the phone number of another athlete. “Hey guys, there's success in the village,” she joked on TikTok, sitting next to Tapper in what appeared to be a cafeteria in the Olympic Village.
Maher pointed at Tapper, who had wide eyes, an almost frightened expression. Tapper quickly clarified that he had no phone number, only his social media account. “Well, he has an Instagram account,” Maher admitted. “She just stared at this guy. He stared at her. Then, he came here.”
Maher laughed as she encouraged others to follow her lead with strong “eye contact” when trying to attract the attention of potential love interests at the Olympics. “The power that she has,” Maher added. “Power. She’s using feminine wiles here.”
She also gave fans her best modeling spree in her Team USA look for this year's opening ceremony, designed by Ralph Lauren. “Ilona you are RUNNING the USA Olympics TikTok,” one fan wrote in the comments, while another TikTok user wrote, “Other than that [Simone] Biles, I have never been more involved with an Olympian.”
Who are your famous fans?
While Maher has amassed a legion of fans online, he has also received praise from famous figures and A-list faces. The rugby star got in touch with Coco Gauff at the Paris 2024 opening ceremony, where he informed the tennis champion that he had dabbled in pickleball.
“POV: Don’t try to relate to tennis players by saying you played pickleball one weekend,” she wrote over the TikTok clip of herself with Gauff.
She also met Snoop Dogg and posed with the rapper in another viral TikTok from the Paris 2024 Olympics. Maher recently gained a new fan: former Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce, who has since declared himself an unofficial ambassador for women's rugby.
What has Maher said about body positivity?
In addition to being an Olympian, Maher has established herself as an advocate for body positivity. Earlier this month, Maher took to the viral platform to respond to a troll who criticized her weight and body mass index (BMI).
“I bet that person has a BMI of 30 percent,” read the comment criticizing his physique, to which Maher responded in a video: “I think you were trying to make fun of me but this is a fact. I have a BMI of 30, well, 29.3 to be exact.”
“As long as the haters keep talking nonsense, I'll keep clapping,” he continued.
Maher admitted that she has been “considered overweight” all her life due to BMI standards, but maintained that she won’t let the scale define her or her view of herself. “BMI doesn’t really tell you what I can do. It doesn’t tell you what I do on the field or how fit I am,” Maher explained. “It’s just a couple of numbers put together. It doesn’t tell you how much muscle I have or anything like that. So yeah, I have a BMI of 30.”
“I'm considered overweight,” she added, before telling her detractors: “But unfortunately, I'm going to the Olympics and you're not.”
Ahead of the start of this year's summer games, Maher also provided an important reminder that all body types are beautiful.
“As the Olympics officially begin today, I want you all to take a look at the different body types on display,” she said in a July 26 video ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics 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 or a sprinter. All body types are beautiful and can do amazing things. So really see yourselves in these athletes and know that you can do it, too.”
Follow live updates from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games here.
