For a normal birthday, you can expect to find Olympian Ilona Maher on the back patio with her family, having a barbecue. However this year, the rugby star rang in her special day during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics before returning to the United States and joining Seth Meyers on his late-night show. At the end of her day, she still made time for a meal with her sister and agent. While she’s excited for things to slow down, she’s happy to continue capitalizing on the attention women’s rugby is finally getting.
The 28-year-old’s been back for less than two weeks and the buzz around her and her bronze medal have shown no sign of slowing down. She was one of the first athletes to take over everyone’s “For You” page, specifically for her TikToks inside the Olympic Village — which she often referred to as the Olympic Villa as a nod to Love Island — including humorous videos like fit checks and consuming giant croissants, alongside important messages where she discusses how athletic bodies can can vary outside of typical societal expectations.
After gaining traction online during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was Maher’s first time at the games, this new level of reach has surpassed the app and led to a direct increase in the number of people watching women’s rugby. She even managed to gain some celebrity fans like Snoop Dogg, Jason Kelce (who wore a shirt with her face on it), and Tom Brady.
Below, Maher breaks down her guide to rugby, like how to learn it and why the game is only 14 minutes long, her rules for flying (she is a Delta girl), reveals if she found love in the village, and shares what it takes to be a super fan.
What’s your dummy guide to understanding rugby?
Go someplace where there’s somebody who gets rugby, sit next to them, and then just ask them, “What’s happening here? What does that mean?” One thing about rugby people is that we love teaching other people about rugby. So find a local rugger and pick their mind.
Can you explain it to me?
So the normal time for rugby is an 80-minute game and it’s 15 versus 15. Sevens is just a very fast form because 15s are tough. You need a 15-plus-player roster and you need all sorts of body types. Sevens is 14 minutes because we’re sprinting and we’re constantly running. Imagine you do a 50-meter sprint, and then you’re gonna do another 60-meter sprint, then a 40-meter sprint. It’s a full field, the size of a soccer field, so you can’t get the best output out of somebody for that long. Because the games are so short, you can give it your all.
You flew to Paris on Delta, the official airline of Team USA to the Olympic & Paralympic Games. What’s your No. 1 rule for flying?
The rule is if I’m really tired, right when I get on the plane, I just close my eyes and start to sleep. Sometimes I get overstimulated if I wait for dinner or turn on the TV, so I’ll eat before I get on the plane. If I want to go to bed on a plane, I just have to lock in. I just go to bed. I don’t use any music, anything like that. I put my hands in my seat belt and then I can sleep pretty well. We flew back on Delta and they had a video of me on the plane screen, so it’s kind of fun to watch yourself on a flight.
You got a lot of buzz for wearing lipstick during your rugby games. What’s your favorite red lipstick?
I wear Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink when I’m playing rugby. It’s genuinely the one lipstick that stays on when I have my mouthguard in and when I’m tackling and rubbing up against people. But I wear lipsticks of all brands. Once I find a color that works for me, I tend to stick to it. I have this one color from Color Pop that is my go-to red, just because I think it works for my coloring so well.
Have you always worn lipstick while playing?
It’s not something I always did, but I’ve always loved lipstick, even from when I was a young girl. So I thought about how cool it could be to wear while playing because everyone is always saying how masculine rugby is and that you have to be a certain way to play and I didn’t like that. So I was like, why can’t I just wear it on the field too, and feel pretty on the field? It’s not like it’s gonna stop me from tackling hard. And it’s been a cool brand for me now.
What’s your No. 1 rule to make a good TikTok?
I tell my jokes twice. I say them once to my teammates, and then they laugh, and I’m like, that’s pretty good, and then I go say it online. It’s like having a sounding board. They are my inspiration and they have a great sense of humor. But I kind of joke that my dad thinks I’m the least funny of his daughters. My sisters are hilarious; they’re the real comedy heroes. And then I take things that they’ve done and then I say it so it makes it seem like I’m really funny.
Your sister is also an avid TikTok creator and coined the term “girl dinner.” What’s your rule for having a good girl dinner?
My girl dinner has to have pickles and a protein source — a lot of people just say it’s a deconstructed sandwich, but it’s not, it’s a girl dinner — some sort of cheese, and probably a fruit. I add the carbs I need, some sort of dip. Olivia and I are definitely girl-dinner aficionados.
Did you find love in the Olympic “villa”?
Look, I was a busy girl, and I also feel like the men were afraid to talk to me because they’re like, I’m gonna get a TikTok made about me. And they’re probably right, so it’s for the best if they didn’t. You’re around people who are so focused on being great and getting a medal, it’s like the one thing everyone wants. So afterward was a great time to meet people and chat and get to know each other, but I was also really busy capitalizing on this moment, going to events and whatnot. So I didn’t couple up, but now that I’m back in the States, I hope maybe I can.
What’s your No. 1 rule for watching Love Island?
I watch alone just because I don’t live with anybody but I always have to do a debrief afterwards with my sisters.
Do you have a favorite contestant from this year?
I thought Uma was great. I liked Ciaran. Everyone called him immature but I thought he acted mature in many ways. I thought he was very honest about how he felt.
What’s your No. 1 rule for dating?
For the first date, if I don’t know you very well, I like it to be pretty chill. Let’s start with a coffee and I’ll meet you somewhere. I’ve just had a couple of bad dates where they’ve picked me up, it wasn’t good, and then I’m stuck with them the whole time because they have to drop me off again. So I like to control the situation as much as I can. I love the chivalry of wanting to pick me up, but I want to be smart about it and also keep safety in mind.
Would you date another athlete?
Oh, for sure. I mean, they’d have to act right and be absolutely obsessed with me.
Do you care if someone asks to split the bill?
If he asks me to split the bill and it’s the first date, I will not be interested. It’s different times, but that’s just how I am. I’m not interested if they do that. And if I don’t feel the person, I will also say “Let’s split this bill” just because I don’t want there to be any sort of confusion as to what I’m feeling.
In the villa … oh my God, the village … I’m actually referring to it as Love Island now. But in the Olympic village, what was your rule for meeting and interacting with other famous athletes?
With Simone Biles, I got to meet her at the point where I was already blowing up so she knew of me and that was very natural. But the key is to be like “This is my friend” and talk to them how I would talk to anybody else. It doesn’t matter how famous you are, I will talk to you the same way. I don’t know anyone who would make me starstruck. So I just try to keep it the same and not put them on a pedestal because I wouldn’t want anyone to put me on a pedestal.
Do you ask people to be in TikTok videos with you?
I never ask anybody. I have to check out how the vibes are going, and then maybe, but I never want an interaction to be TikTok based. So I only really ask if they ask me or if we want to do something together.
Jason Kelce is the newest women’s rugby superfan. What’s the No. 1 rule for being a rugby superfan?
You don’t have to do a goddamn thing except to watch us play.