Ilona Maher extends support as Georgie Lilly Perris-Redding pens emotional message rejoining Team USA aftter a year

Ilona Maher recently showed her support for fellow rugby player Georgie Lilly Perris-Redding. The latter rejoined the Team USA in the match against Fiji after over a year.

Georgie Lilly Perris-Redding, who previously represented the USA at the Rugby World Cup in 2022, expressed her feelings on rejoining the team. In an emotional Instagram post, she thanked everyone for their strong support.

"428 days since I wore the USA jersey and this Saturday I was able to pull the jersey on again.

Thank you to every single person who made this possible and supported me every step of the way. This journey has been a extremely challenging one and I owe it all to you. The hard work continues!"

Maher dropped a two-word reaction as she shared the post on her Instagram story. She wrote,

"She's back."

Screengrab of Ilona Maher's Instagram story [Image Source :Ilona Maher's Instagram]

Ilona Maher and Georgie Lilly Perris-Redding recently represented the USA women's rugby 15s team in the clash against Fiji's women's rugby 15s team at the Audi Field in Washington DC. The Americans won with a comfortable margin of 31-24.

Ilona Maher shares message after winning the ESPYs award for Breakthrough Athlete

Maher after receiving the ESPY Award for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year [Image Source:Getty]

Ilona Maher previously received the ESPY award for the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. The 28-year-old was recognized for her efforts to promote women's rugby through social media, as well as her bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

In her speech after receiving the award, Maher mentioned,

"It's taken me seven years into Olympics, but I finally broke through. Amazing stuff. Um, I know it's just, just me up here, but I'm a team sport athlete through and through, and my teammates are the reason I am the way I am. Um, I love them so much. Um, they truly are the reason I am up on this stage."

The rugby player further added,

"What else do I have to say? My message stays the same, um, strong is beautiful. Strong's powerful. It's sexy. It's whatever you want it to be. And I hope more girls can feel how I feel."

Maher will be representing the US women's rugby team at the Rugby World Cup, which will be held in England from August 22 to September 27. The Olympic bronze medalist expressed her gratitude for being included in the 32-member squad.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee