Latest news with #IlonaMaher
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Ilona Maher Slams Kate Moss's Toxic Diet Culture Quote
In recent months, Ilona Maher has won praise for her honest comments on body image and acceptance. When she featured in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue earlier this year, the 28-year-old rugby player — who won bronze with the US at the 2024 Olympics — quickly made it known that her journey to self-love wasn't necessarily an easy one. '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 Instagram. 'For young Ilona wearing a bikini was once unthinkable but now I'd actually prefer to be prancing around in one. Stay sexy, folks.' And after walking in a swimsuit at the Miami Swim Show last month, Ilona had the perfect response when asked if it was 'tough.' She said, 'I love it. I love showing my body. I love showing what this body has done for me…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.' The athlete won praise from fans who found her comment super refreshing, especially following years of toxic diet culture. And more recently, Ilona directly addressed said diet culture in a candid TikTok, during which she perfectly discredited Kate Moss's regrettably infamous quote from the '00s: 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.' 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels… Uh, y'all tried being strong?' Ilona said as she flexed her muscles. 'I feel good, I feel well fed. I feel ready to take on anybody.' 'You guys gotta try this shit, it is a different level,' she said. 'I love it.' Ilona then added, 'Also, have you guys tasted tiramisu? Because… my God.' Reacting to the TikTok, several Reddit users praised Ilona for her refreshing take. 'What a queen. I am so grateful to have a role model like her, wish my high school self could've seen this. It makes me want to cry, it would have flipped a switch in my brain,' one person said. Love to see it.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ilona Maher and US rugby seek breakthrough with sell-out DC doubleheader
At the ESPY Awards in Hollywood on Wednesday, Ilona Maher was named Best Breakthrough Athlete. 'It's taken me seven years and two Olympics but I finally broke through,' the 28-year-old US Eagles center, social media sensation, swimwear model and reality TV star said, with a delighted laugh. USA Rugby knows such attention is to be seized. After all, Maher's presence against Fiji at Audi Field in Washington on Saturday explains the 20,000 sellout for a program that also includes the Eagles men against England. Out in LA, Maher told her celebrity audience: 'PSA, there is a Women's Rugby World Cup this year. Probably a lot of you didn't know the biggest event in women's rugby, starting in about a month. Watch it. Tune in. You're not gonna understand it the first time you watch it, you're not gonna understand the second time either. But just keep watching.' It's a long way from the Dolby Theatre, where they also host the Oscars, to the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, in the English north-east. But that is the venue for the first game of the World Cup, on 22 August, US against the hosts. The Eagles rank ninth in the world, England first. For the Americans, Saturday's game against Fiji, ranked 15th, is a precious preparative test. Jetlag be damned, Maher will play her part. On Thursday, at the USA Rugby Golden Gala, a fundraising dinner down by the National Mall, she told the Guardian: 'I got in [from LA] at like 7am and then I got in my car and went right to the field, and then practice started at 8am and then I did the gym and I did two-hour practice out in the heat. 'So I am tired. I'm ready for bed … club soda tonight. It was important for me to go to the ESPYs. It's a big thing in America, this is the first time rugby was nominated, so it was important for me to go and win as well. I'm happy I … got to say my part, which is the message I always continue to say.' At the ESPYs, Maher said: 'Strong is beautiful. Strong is powerful. It's sexy, it's whatever you want it to be. And I hope more girls can feel how I feel.' The same night, back east, the rugby clans of DC and representatives of Saturday's teams gathered at the British Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue, for a reception hosted by Peter Mandelson, ambassador to the court of King Donald. Pronouncing himself 'a great rugby fan', Lord Mandelson said: 'It's a magnificent contest of force and skill – just like politics. And rugby union: I emphasize that word 'union' because your sport is incredibly unified. It really brings people together … just like politics.' Polite laughter ensued. Alan Gilpin spoke next. As chief executive of World Rugby, he has placed a big bet by placing the 2031 and 2033 World Cups on American soil. Saluting USA Rugby's 50th birthday, Gilpin said: 'This is a perfect moment to honor those not just who are playing now but those who are laying a trail and creating a bold new future. 'And let us be clear, these Rugby World Cups in the USA will not just be historical games. They'll grow the game's reach, they'll grow the game's impact, they'll grow the game's values, not only here in the US but across the world.' Attempts to persuade American sports fans continue. Representatives of CBS Sports were among those enjoying the canapés and champagne. Among the delegations of players, the American men were led by Nate Augspurger of Chicago, the English by George Ford of Sale. Augspurger won his 51st cap last week, on the wing in a disappointing defeat by Spain in Charlotte, North Carolina. Further south, in San Juan, Argentina, Ford won his 101st cap for England, directing from fly-half as his men completed a series win despite missing 15 men in Australia with the Lions. Augspurger saluted Major League Rugby, the US pro competition which recently completed its eighth season, as 'the breeding ground for our new USA Eagles'. 'Even on this tour right now, we've already had six new caps and we'll have a few more coming in [on Saturday] as well,' Augspurger said, of a squad which also includes players sourced around the world. 'For a guy who's been around a long time … it's just about leading by example, showing them the way. The great part is we're getting a professional-standard athlete into the Eagles now. For a long time, that wasn't always the case … and that gives us all the confidence and growth.' Ford said: 'We've got players away with the Lions, [but that gives others] a chance to push themselves forward. We had a good couple of wins [in Argentina]. There were difficult challenges, but we've worked really hard to make sure that we're on the right side of the scoreboard. So we'll be looking to do that again this week against the USA, which we know is going to be a different challenge.' The England coach, Steve Borthwick, has named three uncapped players in an XV retaining only three men from last weekend. According to Borthwick, Gloucester lock Arthur Clark, Bath center Max Ojomoh and Sale full-back Joe Carpenter 'have earned their chance through their effort and attitude [as] we aim to keep building the squad.' Three uncapped players sit on the bench: Gloucester fly-half Charlie Atkinson, Harlequins center Oscar Beard and Bristol hooker Gabriel Oghre. On Thursday, at the Golden Gala, Eagles coach Scott Lawrence told the GuardIan his team had no illusions about the task ahead. 'Playing against a team like England, the base of the game is about building the robustness in the players to move from Major League Rugby to Test rugby … It's one step in that journey of building the type of international players that we want to have long-term, leading into World Cup qualification.' Counseling realism from US fans (a group used to outright fatalism, most years) Lawrence said 'a lot of things are happening under the water but they take … two to three years to come to fruition before you see the investment actually realized.' At the Embassy, the Guardian stepped aside for a word with Bill Goren, the USA Rugby chief executive. Delighted to contemplate a sell-out crowd – even in the infernal heat and storms of a DC sweat-box summer – Goren said: 'When I took this job, I saw the opportunity that was in front of us with the World Cups, with the Olympics [sevens, in Los Angeles in 2028], with the momentum that the women's teams were having, as well as the World Cup that the men are going to qualify for.' That will depend in the first instance on the Pacific Nations Cup later this summer, as Lawrence's Eagles seek to avoid the fate of the 2023 vintage, who failed to make it to France. Goren continued: 'It's exciting to be here in DC, having both teams on the field, a sell-out. A full weekend of events like this is a showcase for rugby in the US, not just USA Rugby.' Recent reports have depicted outside interests eyeing the US, whether for implanted Super Rugby teams or as part of R360, the putative breakaway league championed by Mike Tindall, World Cup winning England center turned entrepreneur. At the embassy, Goren chose his words … diplomatically. 'We're aware of everything that's going on. When there's a rumor, I'll follow up with it, understand what the landscape is, how it impacts us, where we're going to support and not support at times. I do all of that. I don't let it pull me down, getting involved in rumors and that type of stuff. 'What I need to do is just keep pushing our team forward, because there's an opportunity for our four teams to get better and stronger. There's more tools. We're not going to just stop and wait for something to happen. We continue to drive forward every day. Let's put on good games on Saturday. It's going to be great.'
Forbes
5 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Ilona Maher And USA Rugby Take Center Stage In DC Before World Cup
Ilona Maher and the USA Women take on Fiji in a rugby doubleheader in Washington, D.C. on July 19th. It's a massive rugby weekend in Washington, D.C. Fresh off her ESPYS win for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, Ilona Maher was named in the USA Women's Rugby squad for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup taking place in England from August 22 to September 27. Maher and her teammates will play one last game on U.S. soil before traveling to the U.K. The Women's Eagles face Fiji on July 19th at Audi Field as the first act in a CBS Sports broadcast doubleheader that also pits the USA Men's Eagles against England. The test match doubleheader has been a year in the making and is part of World Rugby and USA Rugby's efforts to lay the foundation for successful Olympic games and Rugby World Cups in 2028, 2031, and 2033. The D.C. Doubleheader The USA women will go into the game feeling they should win. The Women's Eagles are ranked 9th in the world, while Fiji are ranked 15th, but the Americans will not be taking the team from the South Pacific lightly. 'I think we're just really excited,' prop Catie Benson told me after the team's final training session. 'It's been a tough, hot, muggy day, 10 days, and I think we're just really excited to show all of our work that we have done throughout the whole campaign and also what we've been doing in the offseason.' Benson will be heading to her third Rugby World Cup in a month and is eager to make sure the team gets on the plane having put on the best possible show for the fans. 'We want to be quick out there and fast out there,' Benson said. 'Fiji is a very physical team, and they have crazy offloads. So I think we're just trying to shut all that down and just play our game.' Meanwhile, the men will be going up against the English juggernaut — a formidable opponent even if some of their star players are currently touring with the British and Irish Lions. Ranked fifth in the world, England are heavy favorites going into the game and are coming off of a series victory against Argentina. Eagles Head Coach Scott Lawrence is anticipating a strong challenge from the English. 'I think playing against a team like England, the pace of the game is about building robustness in the players as they move from Major League Rugby to test rugby,' he told me at the USA Rugby Golden Gala. 'I think that's important. It's one step in that journey of building the type of international players that we want to have long term, leading into World Cup qualification and the World Cup.' For England, this game against the USA, and their wider tour is about building squad depth ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Debutant Joe Carpenter is looking forward to the match. It's his first time playing in the U.S., and he will get to do it in front of a packed stadium with the chance to go home with three away victories out of three. 'It's massively exciting,' said Carpenter after a light training session. 'We know it'll be a tough test tomorrow, so to come away with a win and 6 new caps will be really great...I think there's been about 10 or 11 new caps this tour and that boosts competition for the shirt.' AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JULY 01: Joe Carpenter of England runs through training drills during an ... More England training session at North Harbour Stadium on July 01, 2024 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by) The Ilona Maher Effect Maher will be starting the match against Fiji as the women look to get a final victory before heading to the World Cup. The native of Burlington, VT, has been instrumental in the growth of rugby on and off the field. Maher is the most followed rugby player in the world on social media, and she uses that platform to preach the same message she delivered in her ESPYS-winning speech: 'Strong is beautiful, strong is powerful. Sexy is whatever you want it to be, and I hope more girls can feel how I feel.' The sevens turned fifteen-player is also a wrecking ball on the field. She helped the USA women's sevens team secure bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which led to her ESPY win. In her victory speech, she was sure to thank her teammates, noting, 'I'm a team sport athlete and my teammates are the reason I am the way I am. I love them so much. They truly are the reason I am up here on this stage.' Teammates, like Catie Benson, are fully supportive of Maher and her actions to raise up women everywhere. 'I think it's just made us better,' Benson told me after training. 'I think the energy that she brings to the team and the spotlight, everyone kind of just feeds off it. It's cool because now more people just know rugby.' Benson also noted that this week the team has walked around the capital and been recognized because of Maher, something that just a few years ago would have been unprecedented. 'We're walking around D.C., and people are like, oh, USA Rugby. It just creates more of a cloud around us. So it's just more attention to the sport. She's been amazing. Everyone's been amazing. It's good.' It is not an exaggeration to say that Maher is inspiring an entire generation of women and girls, some of whom have no interest in rugby but love her messages about strength, power, and positivity. 'It was important for me to go to the ESPYS,' Maher told select media at the USA Rugby Golden Gala. 'The ESPYS are a big thing in America. It's the first time rugby was nominated. So, it was important for me to go and to win as well.' Now with the ESPYS in the rearview mirror, Maher is fully focused on the tasks at hand, Fiji and then the World Cup. The Women's Rugby World Cup The USA women will face hosts England in the opening game of the World Cup on August 22nd, before taking on Australia and then Samoa. It is an extremely tough group, but the squad assembled by Head Coach Sione Fukofuka blends experience, power, and energy. The women will hope to build on the excellent performance of previous generations and make another deep run at the World Cup. Benson is realistic about the team's prospects, noting, 'You know, it's a tough group, but I think the work that we've been putting in with each other, we can really show some of our strengths. And I think we can do a lot of good things when we're out there.' SALE, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 24: Catie Benson of Sale Sharks carries the ball during the Allianz ... More Premiership Women's Rugby match between Sale Sharks and Exeter Chiefs at Heywood Road on November 24, 2024 in Sale, England. (Photo byfor Sale Sharks) Maher and Benson have both spent significant time playing in England, and Maher for one is excited about returning. 'I'm so excited to go back over there,' she told me. 'I loved it. I loved the people, the culture, everything like that, the love of rugby that they have. I'm really excited to be there and I'm excited to play against a lot of my teammates. I think England is going to do the World Cup right. The way that they're setting up, the way they're promoting it. And I think this is going to be a stepping stone for women's rugby. So, I'm really pumped to be a little bit a part of it and hopefully help in any way I can.' Sellout Crowd at Audi Field The doubleheader in Washington, D.C. is expected to be a sellout with fans pouring in to see four exceedingly talented teams. For Benson, who has been an international since 2015, the prospect of playing in front of 20,000 American fans is a dream come true. 'It's kind of mind-boggling, I think when we walked up the [stadium tunnel] stairs, we just saw the stadium,' Benson said smiling. 'We're like, oh, this is so cool. Just the fact that it's a sold-out crowd and we get to play in front of our family and in front of our friends. I think that's so huge to a lot of us just so that we could have that extra support right before we head into the World Cup.' After so many years of fighting for a place in the limelight, both the men and women will have a chance to shine on July 19th in the nation's capital. All they need to do is deliver a spectacle that captivates a new set of American rugby fans.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
When Will The PWHL Catch The Eye Of The ESPYs?
The 33rd annual ESPY Awards were held last night in Los Angeles. At the ceremony, many women in sports were honored. It's a list that includes Best Athlete in Women's Sports, Simone Biles as well as Ilona Maher (Best Breakthrough Athlete), Suni Lee (Best Comeback Athlete), and Best WNBA Player Caitlin Clark.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ilona Maher and US rugby seek breakthrough with sell-out DC doubleheader
At the ESPY Awards in Hollywood on Wednesday, Ilona Maher was named Best Breakthrough Athlete. 'It's taken me seven years and two Olympics but I finally broke through,' the 28-year-old US Eagles center, social media sensation, swimwear model and reality TV star said, with a delighted laugh. Related: Van Poortvliet's last-minute try seals dramatic series win for England in Argentina USA Rugby knows such attention is to be seized. After all, Maher's presence against Fiji at Audi Field in Washington on Saturday explains the 20,000 sellout for a program that also includes the Eagles men against England. Out in LA, Maher told her celebrity audience: 'PSA, there is a Women's Rugby World Cup this year. Probably a lot of you didn't know the biggest event in women's rugby, starting in about a month. Watch it. Tune in. You're not gonna understand it the first time you watch it, you're not gonna understand the second time either. But just keep watching.' It's a long way from the Dolby Theatre, where they also host the Oscars, to the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, in the English north-east. But that is the venue for the first game of the World Cup, on 22 August, US against the hosts. The Eagles rank ninth in the world, England first. For the Americans, Saturday's game against Fiji, ranked 15th, is a precious preparative test. Jetlag be damned, Maher will play her part. On Thursday, at the USA Rugby Golden Gala, a fundraising dinner down by the National Mall, she told the Guardian: 'I got in [from LA] at like 7am and then I got in my car and went right to the field, and then practice started at 8am and then I did the gym and I did two-hour practice out in the heat. 'So I am tired. I'm ready for bed … club soda tonight. It was important for me to go to the ESPYs. It's a big thing in America, this is the first time rugby was nominated, so it was important for me to go and win as well. I'm happy I … got to say my part, which is the message I always continue to say.' At the ESPYs, Maher said: 'Strong is beautiful. Strong is powerful. It's sexy, it's whatever you want it to be. And I hope more girls can feel how I feel.' The same night, back east, the rugby clans of DC and representatives of Saturday's teams gathered at the British Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue, for a reception hosted by Peter Mandelson, ambassador to the court of King Donald. Pronouncing himself 'a great rugby fan', Lord Mandelson said: 'It's a magnificent contest of force and skill – just like politics. And rugby union: I emphasize that word 'union' because your sport is incredibly unified. It really brings people together … just like politics.' Polite laughter ensued. Alan Gilpin spoke next. As chief executive of World Rugby, he has placed a big bet by placing the 2031 and 2033 World Cups on American soil. Saluting USA Rugby's 50th birthday, Gilpin said: 'This is a perfect moment to honor those not just who are playing now but those who are laying a trail and creating a bold new future. 'And let us be clear, these Rugby World Cups in the USA will not just be historical games. They'll grow the game's reach, they'll grow the game's impact, they'll grow the game's values, not only here in the US but across the world.' Attempts to persuade American sports fans continue. Representatives of CBS Sports were among those enjoying the canapés and champagne. Among the delegations of players, the American men were led by Nate Augspurger of Chicago, the English by George Ford of Sale. Augspurger won his 51st cap last week, on the wing in a disappointing defeat by Spain in Charlotte, North Carolina. Further south, in San Juan, Argentina, Ford won his 101st cap for England, directing from fly-half as his men completed a series win despite missing 15 men in Australia with the Lions. Augspurger saluted Major League Rugby, the US pro competition which recently completed its eighth season, as 'the breeding ground for our new USA Eagles'. 'Even on this tour right now, we've already had six new caps and we'll have a few more coming in [on Saturday] as well,' Augspurger said, of a squad which also includes players sourced around the world. 'For a guy who's been around a long time … it's just about leading by example, showing them the way. The great part is we're getting a professional-standard athlete into the Eagles now. For a long time, that wasn't always the case … and that gives us all the confidence and growth.' Ford said: 'We've got players away with the Lions, [but that gives others] a chance to push themselves forward. We had a good couple of wins [in Argentina]. There were difficult challenges, but we've worked really hard to make sure that we're on the right side of the scoreboard. So we'll be looking to do that again this week against the USA, which we know is going to be a different challenge.' The England coach, Steve Borthwick, has named three uncapped players in an XV retaining only three men from last weekend. According to Borthwick, Gloucester lock Arthur Clark, Bath center Max Ojomoh and Sale full-back Joe Carpenter 'have earned their chance through their effort and attitude [as] we aim to keep building the squad.' Three uncapped players sit on the bench: Gloucester fly-half Charlie Atkinson, Harlequins center Oscar Beard and Bristol hooker Gabriel Oghre. On Thursday, at the Golden Gala, Eagles coach Scott Lawrence told the GuardIan his team had no illusions about the task ahead. 'Playing against a team like England, the base of the game is about building the robustness in the players to move from Major League Rugby to Test rugby … It's one step in that journey of building the type of international players that we want to have long-term, leading into World Cup qualification.' Counseling realism from US fans (a group used to outright fatalism, most years) Lawrence said 'a lot of things are happening under the water but they take … two to three years to come to fruition before you see the investment actually realized.' Related: 'Super-physical': Houston's Seth Smith points to US rugby future – and MLR decider At the Embassy, the Guardian stepped aside for a word with Bill Goren, the USA Rugby chief executive. Delighted to contemplate a sell-out crowd – even in the infernal heat and storms of a DC sweat-box summer – Goren said: 'When I took this job, I saw the opportunity that was in front of us with the World Cups, with the Olympics [sevens, in Los Angeles in 2028], with the momentum that the women's teams were having, as well as the World Cup that the men are going to qualify for.' That will depend in the first instance on the Pacific Nations Cup later this summer, as Lawrence's Eagles seek to avoid the fate of the 2023 vintage, who failed to make it to France. Goren continued: 'It's exciting to be here in DC, having both teams on the field, a sell-out. A full weekend of events like this is a showcase for rugby in the US, not just USA Rugby.' Recent reports have depicted outside interests eyeing the US, whether for implanted Super Rugby teams or as part of R360, the putative breakaway league championed by Mike Tindall, World Cup winning England center turned entrepreneur. At the embassy, Goren chose his words … diplomatically. 'We're aware of everything that's going on. When there's a rumor, I'll follow up with it, understand what the landscape is, how it impacts us, where we're going to support and not support at times. I do all of that. I don't let it pull me down, getting involved in rumors and that type of stuff. 'What I need to do is just keep pushing our team forward, because there's an opportunity for our four teams to get better and stronger. There's more tools. We're not going to just stop and wait for something to happen. We continue to drive forward every day. Let's put on good games on Saturday. It's going to be great.'
