American rugby star Ilona Maher may not yet have won a gold medal for her performance on the field, but she is already getting one from her growing number of fans on social media.
The Vermont native has amassed more than a million followers on Instagram and TikTok due to her videos showcasing life as a women's rugby Olympian and has become one of the most talked athletes online during the 2024 Olympics.
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Here is everything you need to know about Olympian Ilona Maher:
Why is Ilona Maher so popular?
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Maher first became a viral sensation ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when she posted hilarious videos detailing life in the Olympic Village amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maher continued her online fame after the Tokyo Games, when she continued to post about her daily life as a member of USA Rugby.
Her videos are often humorous and promote women's sports, particularly rugby, as well as body positivity and acceptance.
Maher has addressed people who say she is too "masculine" for a woman in some of her videos.
"There will always be negative people out there and they put women in a box, and they think women should be fragile and petite and quiet and meek, but that's not the case," Maher said through tears in a 2022 video, according to NBC News. "Women can be strong, and they can have broad shoulders and they can take up space and they can be big."
In another video, that has recently gone viral, Maher hilariously takes down a social media hater who calls out her near 30% BMI (body-mass index), which she acknowledged technically classifies her as "overweight."
The 27-year-old said in the video that she has been considered overweight since she was a kid, but she has spoken with a dietician and has learned that BMI means "nothing" for athletes.
Maher said she is 5 foot 10 inches, 200 pounds, and has around 170 pounds of lean mass.
"BMI doesn't really tell you what I can do," Maher added. "It doesn't really tell you what I can do on the field. How fit I am. 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 do have a BMI of almost 30, and I am considered overweight," Maher added. "But I'm going to the Olympics, and you're not."
How is Ilona Maher doing at the 2024 Olympics?
Maher, who did not medal in the women's rugby sevens in Tokyo, has just helped Team USA women's rugby advance to their first Olympic semi-finals in Paris.
The U.S. is slated to take on New Zealand on Tuesday, July 31, at 9:30 a.m. EST.
If Maher and the rest of the American squad were to win, they would go on to the gold medal match, guaranteeing them a medal. If they were to lose, they would go to the bronze medal match.
What does Ilona Maher do for work outside of rugby?
Maher studied to be a nurse at Quinnipiac University, graduating in 2018.
However, Maher joined USA Rugby after college and has been spending her time training and posting to her loyal fans ever since.
