"We won in many other ways"- Ilona Maher pens an emotional note after missing out on the top spot in DWTS finale

Ilona Maher penned an emotional note after missing out on the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy by a minute margin. The Paris Olympic medalist and her dance partner, Alan Bersten were the runners-up of the dance reality show, and Joey Graziadei & Jenna Johnson were crowned the champions of the 33rd season of DWTS.

The finals of Dancing With the Stars featured a three-hour-long special episode that kept all the viewers on the edge of their seats. The contestants had to showcase their final performance in two rounds, namely the Redemption and Freestyle rounds.

After the culmination of the judge's scores as well as the audience's votes, they finished second after an incredible run throughout the season of the dance reality show. Shortly after, Ilona Maher took to Instagram to share her thoughts after the results.

The 28-year-old thanked her fans for their unwavering support and expressed her gratitude for being able to embark on this journey after the Paris Olympics.

"Thank you for everything, guys. You voting is the reason we got to 2nd place. Of course, it’s no first but honestly, we won in many other ways. So lucky to have been partnered together and shared this amazing journey. We will remember this forever," she wrote.

Ilona Maher and her dance partner Alan Bersten scored 27 points in the Redemption round and put forward an impressive performance in the freestyle round to score three perfect tens and an overall of 30 points in that round.

---

Ilona Maher on training for DWTS after the Paris Olympics

Ilona Maher In Los Angeles - November 7, 2024 - Source: Getty

Ilona Maher spoke about training for Dancing With the Stars after the Paris Olympics in an interview with Good Morning America on November 7. The Olympic medalist revealed that the reality show is almost like the quadrennial games in many ways considering the massive reach of the show as well as the physical aspect of dance.

"It's been almost like another Olympics in a way; I think I knew that it could be really big," she said.

Furthermore, she also expressed how she has been going out of her comfort zone to dance for the first time on such a huge stage.

"For me it's the showing that how powerful and how important it is to be strong physically and mentally, like to see my muscular body that is not that flexible. Still haven't learned to do a split, probably won't," she added.

Alan Bersten lauded Maher for her immense strength and versatility on the dance floor.