FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Ilona Maher
HER WAY briefly chatted with the Rugby superstar and body image crusader at the 2023 Sydney 7s
American rugby star Ilona Maher became one of the most admired sporting stars of 2024, using her already significant platform at the Paris Olympics to challenge stereotypes around body image, being an elite athlete, as well as fun insights from inside the Olympic village. It led to her becoming the most recognised and followed global Rugby player on social media, man or woman, and she recently finished runner up on the American version of Dancing with the Stars. On top of that, Ilona was just this week announced in the US Forbes magazine 30 Under 30 Sports Stars, and she’s singlehandedly lifted the profile of Rugby in the USA.
In terms of her rugby goals, the Paris bronze medallist is now hoping to represent USA at next year’s Rugby World Cup in England, signing on to play a stint with UK side Bristol.
In this week’s Flashback, we go back to January 2023 when the World Rugby Sevens carnival last visited the east coast of Australia.
I had arrived at the 2023 Sydney 7s Rugby Sevens in time to cover the first game of the day. It was an extremely hot summer’s day, with the temperature set to peak at around 38 degrees.
First game of the day was the Great Britain women up against USA.
Having not been to the media area of Allianz Stadium previously, we were left to try and find our own way to the press box. Slightly lost initially, I found myself inadvertently close-by as the US and Great Britain teams made their way from the changerooms (with so many nations playing in both men’s and women’s, organisers need to create makeshift areas for teams to prepare in) to the field of play entrance.
We paused to watch the teams walk by in their single file before heading up to our comfortable vantage point several levels up in the grandstand, and at that point I saw - and unmistakably heard - one of the stars who I had come to see. As the American side walked by, superstar Ilona Maher pumped up her teammates from the middle of the lineup with a couple of expletive words.
Prior to that weekend, I was familiar with Ilona’s strength as a footballer, but above that, I was really inspired by her use of social media to give insights into her career and also challenge the stereotypes of what a professional athlete can or should look like.
The media operations team at the event had indicated that in order to conduct any post-game chats with specific players, I was to head down to an area on the sideline - the ‘mixed zone’ - of the field proper to the end of the game and, and they would attempt to secure the player. Ilona was the player I was determined to chat to after this game, however as a journalist you need to be flexible depending on the result of the game, who performed the best, and whether that player wants to chat after coming off the field in oppressive heat.
The match between the USA and Great Britain was a close one, and given it took a couple of minutes to get from the media box to the mixed zone area, I decided to leave a bit earlier to head down so I could see the last moments from the side of the field in case the result was determined late in the game.
My decision was a good one, as within seconds of arriving downstairs, the US had the ball in the final seconds and, you guessed it, Ilona Maher crashed over for the winning try literally a handful of metres from me in the corner. I can still recall the scream (and a bit more swearing) she let out as she celebrated scoring the winning try for her team. It would end up being an important victory for the team across the weekend as a whole, as the USA made the knockout stages and eventually won bronze for the Sydney 7s.
With the game won, I had a word with the media officials to request a quick chat with Ilona, knowing that she would be utterly exhausted. To my surprise, there was barely any other media there waiting to interview players after this game (I’m sure it would be a very different story now). The superstar made her way over, and seeing how exhausted she looked, 12 year old me knew I had to keep my questions short and sweet.
While her responses to my questions were understandably brief, having just completed a game in extreme heat and needing to get to recovery before their next game, she was kind enough to chat to be interviewed. While I wasn’t new to doing mixed zone interviews immediately after a match at an international tournament, Ilona was someone I admired greatly, so there were definite nerves from me.
After some questions about the game itself, her match-winning try and how she was enjoying Australia, I finished by asking Ilona about how she used her platform to challenge the trolls who made comments about her body, fitness and dietary habits (Ilona at the time was well known for trying, and posting on social media about, the snacks and treats from the countries she visited whilst playing rugby).
Watch the clip with that last question below.