Ilona Maher is hard to miss on the rugby field.
She is one of her team's more muscular players and a constant force who must be accounted for by opponents during matches.
But, the 27-year-old Olympian is also a huge presence off the pitch and on social media where she has become an "influencer" among fans, many of whom know little or nothing at all about the sport of rugby.
Maher's 1.1 million TikTok and 591,000 Instagram followers make her one of Team USA's most viral Olympians.
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"People are always like 'Oh you're an influencer' and I'm like 'No, no, no, I'm an athlete who happens to create content online,'" said Maher.
Regardless of which title Maher wants first on her resume, her social media posts have struck a positive cord with her followers who seem drawn to her authenticity and willingness to open up the door to her personal life in funny and meaningful posts.
In one of Maher's most-liked TikTok videos, she speaks to her fans about the cellulite on her legs as seen in a photograph of her playing rugby.
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Maher tells her followers about how she runs and works out constantly and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
"They see me and they see somebody who maybe wasn't always society's idea of feminine or society's idea of beautiful and maybe can help them as well" said Maher.
She is a woman who is as comfortable mowing down opponents with her broad shoulders as she is showing them off in dresses on her social media platforms.
Her online following has only helped the women's rugby team grow in popularity and she helps her teammates and friends grow their social media followings too.
"Here's what you've got to do. You've got to post and be yourself" said Maher.
"It's hard, it's hard to be your self online, opening yourself up and people judging you," Maher said.
5 Things To Know About Ilona Maher:
- Started playing rugby during her senior year of high school
- 3x rugby All-American at Quinnipiac University
- 2x Olympian (Tokyo, Paris)
- Lives in San Diego and trains at Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center
- In spare time enjoys San Diego's beaches and Padres games
