US olympian Ilona Maher is ruling both rugby and TikTok while competing at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 24-year-old is giving fans from afar an up-close-and-personal look at what goes on inside the Olympic Village — from the dining hall, to the infamous cardboard beds, to what olympians actually talk about amongst one another, and so much more.
Maher, who’s an absolute stiff-arm savant on the pitch, has become a fan favorite on social media for her hilarious videos, witty one-liners and relatable content.
The rugby sevens player, in one clip, sent out a causal request to the US skateboarding team.
“I was just wondering if you guys could, like, just save some swag for the rest of us,” she says. “You guys are really hoarding it all… The amount of cool that you guys emit is unmatched.”
Maher and her teammates secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a 17-7 win over Japan on Thursday morning, improving to 2-0. Maher, Jordan Gray-Matyas and Ariana Ramsey all had tries for the Americans in the victory that followed a 28-14 defeat of China.
In another TikTok video, Maher playfully called out Ralph Lauren to extend her a modeling contract. The fashion brand is the official outfitter of Team USA.
While modeling her Team USA uniform, Maher addressed her followers, saying, “If you’re not Ralph Lauren, just keep scrolling,” before asking Ralph Lauren, “Where’s my modeling contract at, buddy? Look at me.”
Once Maher noticed her TikTok game hit an elite level, she took to Twitter to let fans know she’s a multi-faceted social media star.
“Hey, just thought I’d send a tweet out so you know I do this app too,” she tweeted Tuesday.
Maher began playing rugby while attending Quinnipiac University, where she graduated with a degree in Nursing in 2018. That same year, she made her U.S. rugby debut against Japan in Paris, France.
Other olympians you should be following on TikTok include U.S. Rugby player Cody Melphy and U.S. track and field star Raven Saunders.
