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Ilona Maher graced the Swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated for the second time, garnering praise from fellow athletes like Olivia Dunne, Anna Hall, and others. Maher debuted with SI after her successful Paris Olympic campaign in 2024.
Maher played with the US women's rugby sevens team at the 2024 Paris Games, winning bronze, the first women's rugby podium in US history. She has been instrumental in bringing massive attention to women's rugby, advocating for body positivity and embracing femininity in a sport considered male-dominated.
As the most followed rugby player on social media, Maher was featured in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated shortly after Paris. She turned heads in micro bikinis and even took it up a notch by posing in a brown asymmetric topless monokini with the bronze medal around her neck.
Trending
Cut to April 2025, Maher embraced her body yet again as a SI swimsuit model. The issue, scheduled to arrive in May, has already started taking rounds on the internet, garnering love and appreciation from fans worldwide.
LSU alum, Olivia Dunne, was amazed at the sight and dropped a comment, reading:
"Oh yea"
Olympic heptathlete Anna Hall joined forces and said:
"yes yes yes"
Maher also received support from her partner brand, Adidas, which commented:
"Icon status"
In a conversation with the publication, the 28-year-old talked about seeing more women driving inspiration from her and instilling confidence in themselves.
“I hope people see my photos and understand that strength can be so beautiful and so feminine."
Maher was added to the celebrity roster in the 33rd edition of Dancing With the Stars. Partnering with professional dancer Alan Bersten, she finished as runner-up, trailing Joey Graziadei.
Ilona Maher announced her next stint with the US National team months after the Paris Olympics
Besides being a promising player and a body positivity advocate, Ilona Maher received love for her sense of humor in hilarious social media skits. As she geared up to represent Team USA at the Pacific Four Challenge, the Olympian posed for roster pictures, but the outcome, as posted on her Instagram handle, prompted her to write:
"Description: USA Rugby player rolls out of bed to take roster pictures and doesn't even run a brush through her hair.”
Ilona Maher played rugby 15s with the UK-based Bristol Bears team in PWR from January to March. She witnessed good turnouts in her games and even skyrocketed the Bears' social media followers.
