1 week ago
Women’s rugby Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher is adding different title to her 2024 resume aft becoming a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit screen model.
The master athlete, 28, graced nan publication’s integer screen for their September rumor connected Wednesday, August 28, and she rocked her perfectly sculpted assemblage successful blazing bikinis. Ilona celebrated her accomplishment via Instagram by sharing BTS contented of a silly video while she sat successful nan shallow extremity of a excavation wearing a striking reddish two-piece bathing suit.
In nan clip, Ilona recited Sue Sylvester’s statement successful nan philharmonic bid Glee, played by Jane Lynch, mouthing, “I will nary longer beryllium carrying astir photograph ID. Know why? People should cognize who I am.”
“@si_swimsuit truthful excited to beryllium portion of nan family!” she captioned nan post.
Friends and fans congratulated Ilona successful nan comments section, including Flavor Flav, who played a pivotal domiciled astatine nan Paris Olympics arsenic a sponsor for Team USA’s women’s h2o polo team.
“WE ALL KNOW,” nan Public Enemy rapper, 65, wrote alongside an overwhelming magnitude of occurrence emojis.
The charismatic Sports Illustrated Swimsuits Instagram relationship introduced Illona arsenic their newest screen exemplary pinch a flirty video earlier unveiling her stunning screen photograph hours later.
“When we opportunity #beastbeautybrains THIS is what we mean,” nan publication captioned nan post. “At conscionable 28 years old, Ilona Maher has already made a sanction for herself some connected and disconnected nan rugby field. The Vermont native, who led Team USA to its first bronze #Olympic badge successful rugby sevens astatine nan Paris games earlier this summer, is breaking nan stereotype of what it intends to beryllium a female athlete.”
Ilona looked breathtaking connected nan integer screen arsenic she showcased her toned fig successful a goddess-like brownish bikini. The mini bottoms featured bladed drawstring sides that paired perfectly pinch her mini one-strap top.
Naturally, Ilona brought drama to her caller title and shared a video of herself doing pull-ups earlier posing successful beforehand of nan camera.
“If you heard maine count only 4 reps, you’re mistaken. It was really 400,” she joked successful nan caption.
Humor seems to tally successful nan Maher family arsenic Ilona’s older sister, Olivia, gushed complete her SI Swimsuit photos.
“Having a greeting complete here. Ilona is officially a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit screen model,” Olivia, 29, said successful an August 28 Instagram video while sitting connected nan sofa adjacent to her sister. “So excited astir that, truthful overmuch to celebrate, but besides overmuch to observe for maine because my caller Dyson vacuum arrives today. So, it’s getting crazy complete here.”
Ilona made a people astatine nan Paris Games pinch her bold crippled time lipstick and Love Island-inspired TikTok videos wrong nan Olympic Village. Her unapologetic characteristic is what really made her go a instrumentality favorite, though.
In August, Ilona clapped backmost astatine an online troll who body-shamed her by claiming she had a “30 [percent] BMI.”
During her video response, she admitted that her BMI is 29.3 and that her nutritionist taught her that BMI doesn’t correlate decently to athletes.
“It conscionable tells you what your tallness and weight and what that equals. I’ve said it before. I’m 5 feet 10 inches, 200 pounds and I person about, and this is an estimate – but astir 100 and 70 pounds of thin wide connected me,” she said. “Do that mathematics successful your head. You astir apt can’t. That’s beautiful crazy.”
She concluded her connection pinch a mic-drop moment, saying, “It’s conscionable a mates numbers put together. It doesn’t show you really overmuch musculus I person aliases thing for illustration that. So, yeah, I do person a BMI of 30. I americium considered overweight but, alas, I’m going to nan Olympics – and you’re not.”
