After finishing fifth in Rio in 2016 and sixth in Tokyo in 2020, the rugby sevens squad sought a medal in Paris.

At the forefront of the squad and social media is Maher. A nursing alumna, Maher helped lead the Bobcat squad to back-to-back-to-back women’s rugby national championships at Quinnipiac.

Maher has also been creating new relationships with athletes and celebrities in between matches, notably sharing TikToks and Instagram posts with Jason Kelce, Snoop Dogg and Coco Gauff. Kelce went on to credit his newfound love and role as a superfan of rugby to Maher and her team. 

During her time in Paris, Maher has gained much media attention with her performance on the pitch and off. Recently, Maher was spotlighted in USA Today, Time magazine, the Daily Mail, Planet Rugby, CBS News, Sports Illustrated and the Olympics website.

“There might not be another athlete having a better time than Ilona Maher thus far at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Team USA women’s rugby sevens star is going mainstream with the way she runs through opposing players on the field and entertains her fans on social media,” USA Today reported. 

Her impressive performance on the pitch, including her stiff-arm, has been compared to those of football players within the National Football League. Maher’s stiff arm can be shown when she pushes off defenders who are trying to tackle her which then allows her to score.

When it comes to her athletic performance, Maher openly talks about her body and body image on her social media platforms. The conversation around body image and body positivity has helped her build a fan base where she can be open and honest about her body.

“All body types matter. All body types are worthy. From the smallest gymnast to the tallest volleyball player, from a rugby player to a shot-putter, a sprinter. All body types are beautiful, can do amazing things. Truly see yourself in these athletes and know that you can do it too,” Maher said in a TikTok on July 26. 

Building upon the social media success she found during the Tokyo Olympics, Maher offered an inside look of life instead the Olympic village, showing her trading pins with other athletes. 

Maher and her team defeated Japan, Brazil and Great Britain on the road to the medal. The Team USA rugby sevens team made history after defeating Australia in the Bronze Medal Match on July 30. This win marks the first medal won in rugby since 1924 when the Team USA men's rugby squad won in the 1924 Paris Olympics, according to NBC News.