Latest news with #Ilona
Buzz Feed
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Ilona Maher Loves Her Body On Sports Illustrated Cover
Ilona Maher has a simple message for anyone who's wondering if it's "tough" for her to be photographed in a swimsuit. The bronze-winning Olympic rugby player recently covered Sports Illustrated, before going on to walk at the Miami Swim Show last week. On a recent episode of the Today show, Ilona said that she was once asked if it was "tough" being in a swimsuit. In response, she said, "I love it. I love showing my body. I love showing what this body has done for me." "I've been to two Olympics now. It does amazing things on the field. It's just perfect for what it does and so strong," she continued. "I think other girls seeing that, and feeling like, 'Oh my gosh, I look like her, I have the frame of her' not only has helped me and made me feel more confident, I think it helps others," she added. "You can be just as confident, feel as beautiful as I do." Ilona further said she did "zero prep" for the shoot, explaining, "I don't want to look back on my cover years from now and be like, 'Wow, I wish I looked like that now.' Well, you didn't even look like that then. I want to just be myself out there." "I have very little control to go on a weird diet. I cannot do that. Life's too short," she concluded. You can watch the full interview with Ilona here.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
"Didn't step outside for nearly three years": Nine children brought back from Russian-occupied territories
Ukraine has brought back nine more children from territories temporarily occupied by Russia. Their families have endured severe hardship. Source: Bring Kids Back UA and Save Ukraine Details: Among those rescued were sisters Ilona and Tamila (names changed for safety reasons). For nearly three years, the girls did not leave their home or speak with other children, as their school and kindergarten were destroyed within the first six months of the full-scale invasion. Their childhood was overshadowed by constant bombardments, the movement of armoured vehicles and encounters with drunk Russian soldiers roaming the streets. Seventeen-year-old Yevheniia nearly died due to the lack of proper medical care in the occupied territories – ambulances no longer responded to calls, and hospitals lacked diagnostic equipment. "As a result, she was only correctly diagnosed during an emergency surgery. It is unclear whether she would have survived if she had made it to the operating table just a few hours later," the team involved in the children's return said. Ten-year-old Artem and his mother were locked in a basement by Russian soldiers in the middle of the night while his father was beaten in another room – all because he had tried to protect his wife from abuse by a soldier. "Since that incident, the boy often cried and couldn't sleep at night. He was forced to wear a Russian military cap at school, sing the Russian anthem and shout 'Glory to Russia', and the police were called when he said 'Glory to Ukraine'," the Bring Kids Back UA and Save Ukraine teams noted. Fifteen-year-old Khrystyna ended up in complete information isolation and was unable to continue her education. She could not attend online classes at her Ukrainian school because the Russians jammed communication signals, and her mother refused to send her to a Russian school. Background: Earlier, Ukraine had also managed to bring back a 15-year-old boy from Russian occupation who had long dreamed of reuniting with his father. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
The Advertiser
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
An insult to women's sport? Ticket detail exposes a gap for female fans
Parkas on, comfortable shoes, and all the excitement of walking through the graffitied tunnel from O'Connor to Canberra Stadium. It was the first time my friend and I were to properly watch a rugby union game. Before Saturday night, I thought Brumbies was spelt Brumby's, a dummy was for babies, and a drop goal is what I do to New Year's resolutions. That all changed thanks to American social media star, the glamorous Ilona Maher. She was in Canberra to play for the USA Eagles in a Test against Australia's Wallaroos on Saturday night. Maher has 5 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million on TikTok. Her legions of fans love her for advocating for women in sport and body positivity. She is possibly the world's most famous rugby player. So imagine our surprise when my friend sent me the ticket and the women's match wasn't mentioned at all. "ACT BRUMBIES, 19:35PM," it said. We wanted to watch the Wallaroos play against the USA Eagles, but our tickets only mentioned the succeeding Brumbies game against the Queensland Reds. That was the first time I realised the Brumbies, the ACT's male rugby union team, was playing on Saturday night as well. Had we bought tickets to the wrong game? My friend called Canberra Stadium to check. Admittedly, it was not the Wallaroos we were interested in, but the big social media star on the other side. Even with a superstar like Maher to draw crowds, and a recent pay increase for Australia's female players, the national women's team was treated like the opening act to the local men's one. The Brumbies match actually recorded its highest home crowd in six years that night - without a doubt due to the fans who turned up to watch Maher. Her celebrity status transcends the sporting field, and we'll never know what portion of the crowd turned up just because of Maher, or the preceding women's game, because those people were technically buying Brumbies tickets. People turned to social media to complain about the promotion of the women's match. MORE CANBERRA SPORT I understand Rugby Australia was very keen to use Maher to promote the game, the Wallaroos and women's rugby in general. Maher (or at least Eagles team management) declined interview requests from media. When Maher announced herself in Canberra (via Instagram of course), her post quickly garnered attention and more than 112,000 likes. Her Australia and Canberra-based fans were shocked she was in the capital. And with women's sport gaining a bigger audience and stars like Maher inviting interest from a new cohort, the least Rugby Australia can do is sell tickets with both matches on them. The crowd was full of Maher love - signs scattered throughout and cheers and shouts of "I love you, Ilona" whenever she was flashed on the big screen. Anna Scares decided to shoot her shot, holding a cardboard sign saying: "Ilona Maher-ry me?' "One of the great things about Ilona is that she sends a message of body positivity that you can be beautiful at any size, that strong is beautiful," Scares told me. Like my friend and I, Siobhan Smith was at her first rugby game thanks to Maher. "I would happily come to heaps more women's games," she said. The Wallaroos are ranked sixth in the world, two spots higher than the men's national team, the Wallabies (and yes, I had to Google the men's team name). And as I learnt on Saturday, we have our own female rugby stars like Charlotte Caslick, Desi Miller and Faitala Moleka. As the game concluded, with the Wallaroos beating the Eagles 27-19, I joined many others, including young women and families, in heading home before the Brumbies match started. There were more people walking in the other direction - but perhaps they would have gotten in earlier if only they'd known what they were missing out on. Parkas on, comfortable shoes, and all the excitement of walking through the graffitied tunnel from O'Connor to Canberra Stadium. It was the first time my friend and I were to properly watch a rugby union game. Before Saturday night, I thought Brumbies was spelt Brumby's, a dummy was for babies, and a drop goal is what I do to New Year's resolutions. That all changed thanks to American social media star, the glamorous Ilona Maher. She was in Canberra to play for the USA Eagles in a Test against Australia's Wallaroos on Saturday night. Maher has 5 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million on TikTok. Her legions of fans love her for advocating for women in sport and body positivity. She is possibly the world's most famous rugby player. So imagine our surprise when my friend sent me the ticket and the women's match wasn't mentioned at all. "ACT BRUMBIES, 19:35PM," it said. We wanted to watch the Wallaroos play against the USA Eagles, but our tickets only mentioned the succeeding Brumbies game against the Queensland Reds. That was the first time I realised the Brumbies, the ACT's male rugby union team, was playing on Saturday night as well. Had we bought tickets to the wrong game? My friend called Canberra Stadium to check. Admittedly, it was not the Wallaroos we were interested in, but the big social media star on the other side. Even with a superstar like Maher to draw crowds, and a recent pay increase for Australia's female players, the national women's team was treated like the opening act to the local men's one. The Brumbies match actually recorded its highest home crowd in six years that night - without a doubt due to the fans who turned up to watch Maher. Her celebrity status transcends the sporting field, and we'll never know what portion of the crowd turned up just because of Maher, or the preceding women's game, because those people were technically buying Brumbies tickets. People turned to social media to complain about the promotion of the women's match. MORE CANBERRA SPORT I understand Rugby Australia was very keen to use Maher to promote the game, the Wallaroos and women's rugby in general. Maher (or at least Eagles team management) declined interview requests from media. When Maher announced herself in Canberra (via Instagram of course), her post quickly garnered attention and more than 112,000 likes. Her Australia and Canberra-based fans were shocked she was in the capital. And with women's sport gaining a bigger audience and stars like Maher inviting interest from a new cohort, the least Rugby Australia can do is sell tickets with both matches on them. The crowd was full of Maher love - signs scattered throughout and cheers and shouts of "I love you, Ilona" whenever she was flashed on the big screen. Anna Scares decided to shoot her shot, holding a cardboard sign saying: "Ilona Maher-ry me?' "One of the great things about Ilona is that she sends a message of body positivity that you can be beautiful at any size, that strong is beautiful," Scares told me. Like my friend and I, Siobhan Smith was at her first rugby game thanks to Maher. "I would happily come to heaps more women's games," she said. The Wallaroos are ranked sixth in the world, two spots higher than the men's national team, the Wallabies (and yes, I had to Google the men's team name). And as I learnt on Saturday, we have our own female rugby stars like Charlotte Caslick, Desi Miller and Faitala Moleka. As the game concluded, with the Wallaroos beating the Eagles 27-19, I joined many others, including young women and families, in heading home before the Brumbies match started. There were more people walking in the other direction - but perhaps they would have gotten in earlier if only they'd known what they were missing out on. Parkas on, comfortable shoes, and all the excitement of walking through the graffitied tunnel from O'Connor to Canberra Stadium. It was the first time my friend and I were to properly watch a rugby union game. Before Saturday night, I thought Brumbies was spelt Brumby's, a dummy was for babies, and a drop goal is what I do to New Year's resolutions. That all changed thanks to American social media star, the glamorous Ilona Maher. She was in Canberra to play for the USA Eagles in a Test against Australia's Wallaroos on Saturday night. Maher has 5 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million on TikTok. Her legions of fans love her for advocating for women in sport and body positivity. She is possibly the world's most famous rugby player. So imagine our surprise when my friend sent me the ticket and the women's match wasn't mentioned at all. "ACT BRUMBIES, 19:35PM," it said. We wanted to watch the Wallaroos play against the USA Eagles, but our tickets only mentioned the succeeding Brumbies game against the Queensland Reds. That was the first time I realised the Brumbies, the ACT's male rugby union team, was playing on Saturday night as well. Had we bought tickets to the wrong game? My friend called Canberra Stadium to check. Admittedly, it was not the Wallaroos we were interested in, but the big social media star on the other side. Even with a superstar like Maher to draw crowds, and a recent pay increase for Australia's female players, the national women's team was treated like the opening act to the local men's one. The Brumbies match actually recorded its highest home crowd in six years that night - without a doubt due to the fans who turned up to watch Maher. Her celebrity status transcends the sporting field, and we'll never know what portion of the crowd turned up just because of Maher, or the preceding women's game, because those people were technically buying Brumbies tickets. People turned to social media to complain about the promotion of the women's match. MORE CANBERRA SPORT I understand Rugby Australia was very keen to use Maher to promote the game, the Wallaroos and women's rugby in general. Maher (or at least Eagles team management) declined interview requests from media. When Maher announced herself in Canberra (via Instagram of course), her post quickly garnered attention and more than 112,000 likes. Her Australia and Canberra-based fans were shocked she was in the capital. And with women's sport gaining a bigger audience and stars like Maher inviting interest from a new cohort, the least Rugby Australia can do is sell tickets with both matches on them. The crowd was full of Maher love - signs scattered throughout and cheers and shouts of "I love you, Ilona" whenever she was flashed on the big screen. Anna Scares decided to shoot her shot, holding a cardboard sign saying: "Ilona Maher-ry me?' "One of the great things about Ilona is that she sends a message of body positivity that you can be beautiful at any size, that strong is beautiful," Scares told me. Like my friend and I, Siobhan Smith was at her first rugby game thanks to Maher. "I would happily come to heaps more women's games," she said. The Wallaroos are ranked sixth in the world, two spots higher than the men's national team, the Wallabies (and yes, I had to Google the men's team name). And as I learnt on Saturday, we have our own female rugby stars like Charlotte Caslick, Desi Miller and Faitala Moleka. As the game concluded, with the Wallaroos beating the Eagles 27-19, I joined many others, including young women and families, in heading home before the Brumbies match started. There were more people walking in the other direction - but perhaps they would have gotten in earlier if only they'd known what they were missing out on. Parkas on, comfortable shoes, and all the excitement of walking through the graffitied tunnel from O'Connor to Canberra Stadium. It was the first time my friend and I were to properly watch a rugby union game. Before Saturday night, I thought Brumbies was spelt Brumby's, a dummy was for babies, and a drop goal is what I do to New Year's resolutions. That all changed thanks to American social media star, the glamorous Ilona Maher. She was in Canberra to play for the USA Eagles in a Test against Australia's Wallaroos on Saturday night. Maher has 5 million followers on Instagram and 3.5 million on TikTok. Her legions of fans love her for advocating for women in sport and body positivity. She is possibly the world's most famous rugby player. So imagine our surprise when my friend sent me the ticket and the women's match wasn't mentioned at all. "ACT BRUMBIES, 19:35PM," it said. We wanted to watch the Wallaroos play against the USA Eagles, but our tickets only mentioned the succeeding Brumbies game against the Queensland Reds. That was the first time I realised the Brumbies, the ACT's male rugby union team, was playing on Saturday night as well. Had we bought tickets to the wrong game? My friend called Canberra Stadium to check. Admittedly, it was not the Wallaroos we were interested in, but the big social media star on the other side. Even with a superstar like Maher to draw crowds, and a recent pay increase for Australia's female players, the national women's team was treated like the opening act to the local men's one. The Brumbies match actually recorded its highest home crowd in six years that night - without a doubt due to the fans who turned up to watch Maher. Her celebrity status transcends the sporting field, and we'll never know what portion of the crowd turned up just because of Maher, or the preceding women's game, because those people were technically buying Brumbies tickets. People turned to social media to complain about the promotion of the women's match. MORE CANBERRA SPORT I understand Rugby Australia was very keen to use Maher to promote the game, the Wallaroos and women's rugby in general. Maher (or at least Eagles team management) declined interview requests from media. When Maher announced herself in Canberra (via Instagram of course), her post quickly garnered attention and more than 112,000 likes. Her Australia and Canberra-based fans were shocked she was in the capital. And with women's sport gaining a bigger audience and stars like Maher inviting interest from a new cohort, the least Rugby Australia can do is sell tickets with both matches on them. The crowd was full of Maher love - signs scattered throughout and cheers and shouts of "I love you, Ilona" whenever she was flashed on the big screen. Anna Scares decided to shoot her shot, holding a cardboard sign saying: "Ilona Maher-ry me?' "One of the great things about Ilona is that she sends a message of body positivity that you can be beautiful at any size, that strong is beautiful," Scares told me. Like my friend and I, Siobhan Smith was at her first rugby game thanks to Maher. "I would happily come to heaps more women's games," she said. The Wallaroos are ranked sixth in the world, two spots higher than the men's national team, the Wallabies (and yes, I had to Google the men's team name). And as I learnt on Saturday, we have our own female rugby stars like Charlotte Caslick, Desi Miller and Faitala Moleka. As the game concluded, with the Wallaroos beating the Eagles 27-19, I joined many others, including young women and families, in heading home before the Brumbies match started. There were more people walking in the other direction - but perhaps they would have gotten in earlier if only they'd known what they were missing out on.
Miami Herald
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Ilona Maher Was ‘Super Drunk' at Olympics Closing Ceremony in Paris
Ilona Maher had more than a bronze medal to celebrate at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. During the Tuesday, April 1, episode of her new "House of Maher" podcast - which she hosts alongside her sisters, Olivia and Adrianna Maher - the 28-year-old rugby star shared the inside scoop on life in the Olympic Village and recalled celebrating her birthday during the closing ceremony last summer. "My birthday is August 12. I'm a Leo - a classic Leo, as they say," Ilona said, noting that the closing ceremony officially kicked off on August 11 but continued after midnight. The end of the Olympics was the perfect time for the athletes to cut loose. "You're not supposed to drink in the village, but we were all getting vodka somehow and bringing it in, like, water bottles," Ilona recalled. "You've just completed the Olympics, you can finally feel like you can relax and reset." Ilona remembered "chatting to everybody" as the Olympians made their way to the Stade de France, which was the same stadium where Ilona and her teammates made history by winning the first Olympic medal for the U.S. in women's rugby. "It was crazy to be back there knowing what happened and the feelings that [went] into it," she continued. "It struck midnight, so it was my birthday, and I made everybody around me sing. … It was just a really special moment. I was super drunk, but I still remember it." Ilona has been "on the go" ever since the Olympics, with her sisters pointing out that she hasn't spent much time back home in San Diego following her big win. "I had to take my ass on up to L.A. and do Dancing With the Stars," Ilona teased. Fans watched Ilona take on a new challenge with pro partner Alan Bersten on DWTS season 33, which aired last fall. The pair finished the competition in second place behind winners Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson. While the experience took Ilona out of her comfort zone, she has no regrets, largely due to the "brother-sister" relationship she formed with Bersten, 30. "It was such a special moment in time, so hopefully I will have a friend for life," Ilona gushed on the podcast before joking, "I don't even know if I can watch next season, though. I'll be so jealous. I'll be like, 'That's my partner.'" She ended with a playful warning for Bersten, teasing, "If he says that his next partner is his favorite, I'm blocking him on all socials. That's a threat." Copyright 2025 Us Weekly. All rights reserved.
Buzz Feed
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Olympian Ilona Maher's Post About Being In A Bikini Went Viral, After Her Previous Remarks Of "Always" Being "Bigger" Than Other Girls
Ilona Maher shared an honest post about what it feels like to wear a bikini with her body type, and fans can't help but admire how far her confidence has come. For those who don't know her, Ilona is an Olympian who helped the U.S. Women's Rugby Sevens team take home the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was a historic moment because it was the team's first time the U.S. Women's team won a medal in Rugby Sevens. She garnered a lot of attention on social media, specifically TikTok, after sharing behind-the-scenes details about the Olympics and perfectly displaying her fun personality. Ilona was also praised for how vulnerable she'd get with her fans about body image and learning to love the skin she's in. She continued the positivity earlier this week after announcing she was going to be featured in Sports Illustrated's iconic swimsuit issue for the second time. She was first featured in 2024 as their September digital cover issue model. Instagram: @si_swimsuit "Thank you to @si_swimsuit for once again letting me showcase my strong, powerful body and for making me feel so beautiful," she wrote on one post. "For young Ilona wearing a bikini was once unthinkable but now I'd actually prefer to be prancing around in one. Stay sexy, folks." The video was made up of a compilation of clips of her in various bikinis while she sang the viral song "Sally, When The Wine Runs Out" by Role Model, and played on the beach. The 28-year-old athlete felt empowered to show that being strong is still sexy, especially when society tends to deem women with muscular physiques as less feminine and attractive. It's clear Ilona is hoping to change that narrative by ensuring the world knows beauty comes in many forms. As many commenters reflected on how they wished they had someone like Ilona to look up to growing up, it reminded me of a sweet video message she sent to a young girl who was dealing with weight insecurities after she had listed her weight on her field trip permission slip, only to somehow realize she weighed "more than all of her friends." The pre-teen wrote Ilona a letter, and Ilona responded, revealing how much she once related to her. "I was always a bigger girl in sixth grade," Ilona explained in the video. "I remember I was 130 pounds and I never understood why am I always bigger than everybody? I didn't get that, but now I've realized this is my body, and my body is meant to be big and powerful and strong. And I think that's the same with you as well." "So really recognize that and appreciate it because I'm gonna be honest, Georgia, this is it," Ilona continued. "This is the body you got and this is the body you gotta love. Thank you so much for your support. It means so much to me to see and to know that I may be affecting people in a good way."
