Paris Olympics sweetheart: Rugby player Ilona Maher promotes body positivity [Video]

PARIS (AP) — Ilona Maher, America’s rugby-playing social media sweetheart, walked onto the terrace of Team USA House carrying a sandwich, the United States’ first ever rugby sevens Olympic medal hanging around her neck.

In between a rapid-fire media rotation, she squeezed in bites of her snack and reapplied her trademark red lipstick. It was authentic Maher, who uses the platform she has built to promote body positivity and the sport she loves, all while insisting women who run, tackle and throw stiff arms can still be feminine.

Maher, who first shot to stardom three years ago by using her wicked sense of humor to document behind-the-scenes life at the Tokyo Olympics, helped lead the U.S. to the bronze medal at the Paris Games with a heart-stopping finish in a 14-12 victory over Australia. The bronze medal match ended with Alex “Spiff” Sedrick scoring on a length-of-the-field try as time expired, then putting a kick through the uprights.