Ilona Maher Talks Olympics, Social Media Career, and Bringing Rugby to the Forefront [Video]

Ilona Maher is the Olympic athlete-creator whisperer. She’s managed to entrance and invite online viewers into the sports world so naturally, large corporations trying to do the same can only dream about doing it with such finesse. Like many people, we first came across Maher during the 2021 Olympic cycle, her videos going viral inside the Olympic Village. Now, she’s back again at the 2024 Paris Olympics giving everyone exactly what they want to see. From her focus on body inclusivity to her creation of the Olympic Villa bit everyone is now playing into, Maher is massively shaping Olympic content.

Maher is originally from Vermont and grew up playing sports. She attended Norwich University for a year before transferring to Quinnipiac University to continue her rugby career. While at QU she won three championships in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association and was named to the NIRA All-American team all three years, and …