Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Team USA has a new breakout star in the Olympics in women’s rugby player Ilona Maher.
One of the best things about the Olympics is that a breakout star is born almost every time the global games begin. Every four years, the world is introduced to a star in a sport they may not have watched before.
For the United States, a star is being born in women’s rugby. Allow me to introduce you to Ilona Maher, US Women’s Rugby Sevens player. All that she does is simply put opposing rugby players in the freaking DIRT.
Maher is a modern superhero, bowling past defenders with speed and power, while making them look silly in the process. So who is this rugby star on Team USA, plowing through Paris and making it look cool in the process?
The 27-year-old Maher is from Burlington, VT and began playing rugby at the age of 17. According to The Guardian, Maher played field hockey, basketball and soccer growing up before her father got her to try rugby (her father played rugby at Saint Michael’s College). In college, at both Norwich University and Quinnipiac University, Maher was a three-time All-American and the 2017 Player of the Year. She’s an athletic marvel, blasting past players with a stiff arm that is very similar to Baltimore Ravens’ RB Derrick Henry. If I got dribbled like this I wouldn’t pick up the sport ever again.
This is like a shot of espresso in the morning. I’m ready to run through a brick wall after watching Maher destroy opponents.
Not only that, Maher has been a superstar on social media. She has 1.4 million Instagram followers and 1.6 million followers on TikTok, showcasing her incredibly funny and authentic personality as well as her athleticism. Maher spoke to the Guardian about building a brand and how it helps lesser watched Olympic sports like rugby in the big picture:
“It is really important to have a profile, and a profile for our sport,” Maher said. “It’s about building the brand. We are female rugby players – we’re not getting million dollar contracts, we’re not getting paid the money that we should be. Me and my friends are keen on getting the sport out there and getting us noticed. It’s important in the US where so much attention is on other sports. And I think it’s just about showing the personality that the women have. The game is very strong, not just for men, but for women too.”
Maher first began using her platform during the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the Tokyo Olympics. She invited followers into the Olympic village (virtually, of course) and drew more attention to the sport using her social media following. While in Paris, her content has been both informational and hilarious, bringing more people to watch rugby sevens:
Maher using her platform not only to show herself off, but bring attention to topics such as body positivity and awareness to rugby sevens is super cool. She uses her play (which is badass) to bring people in, and when they’re in she shows off the authentic personality as well.
If you want to follow the Women’s rugby sevens team, the US will be taking on Great Britain in the quarterfinals later today at 3:30 PM EST, and if they win they’ll go to the semis which begin on July 30. Go and watch your new favorite Olympian steamroll some British people. It’s an American tradition.
