Ilona Maher’s photoshoot with Sports Illustrated has been getting reward from followers on-line as she stuns on the swimsuit cowl of the journal’s August situation. Ben Watts photographed the athlete carrying a number of swimsuits by MYRA SWIM, HAUS OF PINK LEMONAID, mare perpetua, and Norma Kamali, amongst others, and in a number of pictures, she was even seen exhibiting off her latest Olympic medal.

Notably, Maher led the U.S. girls’s rugby workforce to its first-ever bronze medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now, followers have praised her newest look on the Sports Illustrated cowl for its promotion of physique positivity.

Olympic rugby participant Ilona Maher strips down in steamy Sports Illustrated cowl

Talking to Sports Illustrated, the 28-year-old athlete revealed that her victory was removed from an in a single day success story. Her father, Michael Maher, who was additionally a rugby participant, inspired her to take up the game at 17. With her diligence and arduous work, she grew to become one of many prime rugby gamers in the nation.

Ilona Maher now has over six million followers on social media platforms and is reportedly essentially the most adopted rugby participant on Instagram. On her social media accounts, she usually advocates for feminine physique positivity. She advised Sports Illustrated, “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.”

The athlete then added, “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.” Unfortunately, like most feminine athletes, fame comes with its share of criticism. However, this hasn’t damaged Maher’s spirit, and he or she hasn’t shied away from speaking again to her haters.

Maher has been constantly vocal concerning the harsh situations and obstacles girls athletes face given the intense gender hole in the sports activities world, which is especially notable in rugby. She spoke in her interview with Sports Illustrated about how feminine rugby gamers make far lower than their male counterparts, barely making the “minimum wage.” This forces many to take up a further job, whereas male rugby gamers “get paid millions of dollars.”

Maher additional revealed that she has been getting model endorsements, messages, requests, and illustration provides ever since her return. At the shoot, she seemed enchanting in a collection of beautiful swimsuits. The cowl was posted on Sports Illustrated’s Instagram account, the place it obtained reward from followers all around the globe.