Ilona Maher Waltzes Back to Make Her Second SI Swimsuit Appearance

The rugby star continues to make an impact in all aspects of her life.

Olympic rugby hero Ilona Maher appeared on the cover of SI Swimsuit's digital issue last September. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Ilona Maher's had quite the year.

Maher gained a huge social media following during the 2024 Paris Olympics when she competed on the U.S. women's rugby team. Team USA captured a bronze medal, which was the country's first Olympic medal in the event. She promoted self-love and body positivity, while also cracking jokes and making her fans laugh through social media posts. Maher's personal motto is “Beast Beauty Brains.”

After her popularity soared from the Olympics, Maher was featured as SI Swimsuit's cover star for its September digital issue. (She even posed with her Olympic bronze medal for the shoot.) Her appearance in the 2025 SI Swimsuit edition will mark her second time working with the brand.

Since the Games, Maher has created an even bigger platform for herself. She competed on Dancing With the Stars last fall alongside professional dancer Alan Bersten. The duo came in second place behind Bachelor star Joey Graziadei and his partner, Jenna Johnson.

After that, Maher returned to rugby to join the Bristol Bears in the Premiership Women's Rugby league in the United Kingdom. She most recently competed in a match between Team USA and Team Canada at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium. The matchup broke the women's rugby attendance number by drawing in 10,518 fans to the game.

Maher just continues to make history. Check her out in the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue, available for order now and on newsstands starting May 17.

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