Ilona Maher was in beast mode. The captain and center for the United States women’s rugby sevens team had her hair pulled back in stylish braids that led into a ponytail on top of her head. Her lips shone with bright red lipstick. At 5'10", Ilona was tall, strong, and muscular, even for a rugby player. It was July 28, 2024, and her team, called the Eagles, was playing Japan in their opening match at the Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
During the first half of the game, Ilona got her hands on the oval-shaped ball and seized the moment. A defender sprinted toward Ilona to try to stop her. The Eagles center tucked the ball under her muscular right arm and extended her left to stiff-arm the defender. Boom! The Japanese player crashed to the ground. Ilona kept sprinting down the field and into the try zone. She scored! The United States dominated for the rest of the match and won, 36–7.
Ilona went on to help her team win the bronze medal at these Games. It was the first time a US rugby team—men’s or women’s—won an Olympic medal in rugby sevens. On the field after the game, Ilona raised both hands in victory. Then during the medal ceremony later that evening, all of the team, but especially Ilona, cried tears of joy as the medals were placed around their necks.
But Ilona was more than an Olympic medalist: She was also an inspiration to women all over the world thanks to her popular social media posts about self--confidence and her message of celebrating beauty in many different forms. By the Paris Olympics, Ilona had more than eight million followers across Instagram and TikTok who loved her videos about being proud of your muscles, strength, and size. How did this inspirational athlete come to be?
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