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Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher has quickly become one of the stars of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and with good reasons.
Maher is a beat of a player on the field. She checks in a 5’10, 200 pounds and her highlights look like something out of Derrick Henry’s high school tape.
Just checkout this insane stiff arm that she put on a poor Japanese player on Sunday!
Ilona Maher just Derrick Henry’ed a Japanese player #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/gLIdGQwnjb
— Lindsey 🌴🥥 (@LuLu_Vue) July 28, 2024
Maher scored a pair of tries (touchdowns) for the U.S. on Sunday as they rolled to victories over both Brazil and Japan. She and her teammates complete pool play on Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET against France. The United States has already secured a spot in the knockout round.
But Maher rules for several reasons, not just her remarkable play. The 27-year-old from Burlington, Vermont is also an absolutely incredible content creator on social media.
Maher already went viral on TikTok several times this week, including a hilarious interaction with tennis star and Team USA flag-bearer Coco Gauff.
@ilonamaher I got a text!!@Love Island
Maher has over 1.5 million followers on TikTok, and it’s easy to say why. The above video, in which she calls the Olympic Village and “Olympic Villa” and compares it to hit show Love Island, has over 5.1 million views!
But she hasn’t slowed down the content creation in Paris. She found her future husband in line at the cafeteria!
@ilonamaher Moves were made @paris2024 #olympicvilla
And she turned Jason Kelce into the newest Team USA rugby super fan!
@ilonamaher We got Jason Kelce @Team USA @paris2024 @Olympics @USA Rugby #jasonkelce
Join the club, Jason.
The Olympics are the one time every four years that sports like women’s rugby sevens get to shine. And Maher is undoubtedly making the most of that opportunity!