Olympic rugby hero Ilona Maher is Sports Illustrated’s new cover model, and sapphics are thirsting
Ilona Maher is Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s cover star. (Getty)
Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher graces Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s cover for its digital September issue, and sapphics are thirsting over the star.
The US women’s rugby team player, who helped lead the team to its first Olympic bronze medal at the Paris games this year, posed in a brown asymmetric twist-front bikini by MYRASWIM.
Her front cover was unveiled by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, marking her debut as the September 2024 digital issue cover model.
The 28-year-old athlete is featured in various images, one of which shows the star wearing nothing but her prized bronze medal around her neck. Another saw her proudly kissing her medal whilst in a sparkly bikini top.
Further pictures from the shoot showed her walking into the ocean as she lifted her brunette locks, with another look showcasing her biting her lipstick necklace — a nod to how the sportsperson often wears lipstick while on the pitch to prove that women can be “beast, beauty, brains” all at once.
It’s safe to say that fans are thirsting for Maher in the comments, with one writing: “This is what I imagine Greek Goddesses to look like! Pure strength, beauty and perfection.”
Another said: “I just watched someone fall to their knees in Whataburger.”
Others wrote beneath the Instagram post: “She is to women what Ryan Reynolds is to men,” and “I didn’t realise I signed up for Instagram Premium. GOOD LORT!”
The outlet captioned the post: “When we say #beastbeautybrains THIS is what we mean.
“At just 28 years old, Ilona Maher has already made a name for herself both on and off the rugby field. The Vermont native, who led Team USA to its first bronze #Olympic medal in rugby sevens at the Paris games earlier this summer, is breaking the stereotype of what it means to be a female athlete.”
Speaking to the publication, Maher addressed the degrading comments about her body, the majority of which have come from cisgender men body-shamers and “transvestigators” who are threatened that a woman could be so powerful.
She said: “I was always like, you know, called ‘masculine’ or whatever. But I never felt that way. But I don’t think you’re going to bully the girl who could probably beat you up in a rage.
“I love that [rugby] showed me what I can do. It showed me how capable my body is and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified,” Maher said.
She continued: “If my cellulite was lower in that perfect range, I wouldn’t be doing what I could do. I wouldn’t be that powerful for it [so] I just really think sports have been so helpful.”
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