Vermont Olympian Ilona Maher is a role model for female athletes

In a joking manner, Michael Maher warned her daughter that she'd better practice before throwing out the first pitch prior to a San Diego Padres home game last month.

"I just know that a lot of celebrities have made fools of themselves at first-pitch events. I also know she’s perfectly capable of throwing a ball from outfield to home plate," Michael Maher said.

From the rubber, 60 feet, 6 inches away, Ilona Maher uncorked a strike. The catcher barely moved their glove.

Under brighter lights, Ilona Maher delivered. And the focus on Maher, a two-time Olympian for the U.S women's rugby sevens squad, has not only remained a constant — on social media and the rugby pitch — but has exponentially grown ever since the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021.

With the Paris Olympics just around the corner later this month, Burlington, Vermont's Maher has built a strong fanbase on TikTok (1.1 million followers, 88.3 millions likes) and Instagram (612,000 followers), reaped a batch of endorsements, including the lead on a national ad campaign for a Secret Outlast deodorant commercial, and become a role model for young female athletes — all while navigating the good and bad of today's social media and a nasty injury in 2023 to return to the U.S. team.

"After Tokyo she knew she wanted to continue it and build on what she had established," said mother Mieneke Maher. "She knew it was a way to supplement her income. But you also have to be smart with what you post, how you post and how you represent yourself. She knows what she needs to do.

"Her star is rising but she works very hard training for rugby. But really her media presence and all the media stuff she does is a whole second job."

Job No. 1 is pursuing the dream of standing on an Olympic podium. Maher and Team USA open pool play in Paris on Sunday, July 28. Medal rounds for the women's sevens tournament are scheduled for July 30. The U.S. team took a disappointing sixth in Tokyo.

"She’s in the best shape she’s been in," Michael Maher said. "She’s been working super-hard to be a two-time Olympian and become a medalist."

Ilona Maher's parents 'proud' of daughter's online stardom, endorsements

"My secret? I'm the sweatiest person on the rugby team."

Those are the opening words for a commercial for Secret Outlast, the official deodorant for Team USA, voiced by Maher during a staged scrum with teammates. The ad has drawn about 1.5 million views on YouTube as of July 13.

The Mahers have heard from friends and family near and far on seeing Maher front and center on TV.

"It's a really fun ad," Mieneke Maher said.

And that's the just one example of Maher's presence and impact. Among her endorsements, Maher has deals with L'Oréal cosmetics, Brooks Running, Delta Air Lines and Procter & Gamble, which manufactures Secret deodorants. Maher is also one of six U.S. brand ambassadors for the Paris Olympics for New Era. Boston Celtics superstar and NBA champion Jayson Tatum is among those ambassadors.

"As a child you would’ve thought she was shy. But she wanted to be an extrovert," Michael Maher said. "She loves to talk to people. She has really strong engagement with a lot of her fans. She’s not pretending to be anything she’s not."

Ilona Maher has cultivated an online persona with authenticity, vulnerability and an openness. The window into the life of Maher as a social media content queen, from throwing out the first pitch at a MLB game to daily adventures in her personal and sports life to pitching ads, is genuine and appealing. Earlier this month, Maher and Ann Ragan Kearns, a former NCAA swimmer, launched Medalist, a line of skincare products geared toward female athletes.

"Female athletes bring something to the table and that is their personalities," Mieneke Maher said. "And Ilona has done a really great job marrying the two together, the sports and the media, with her personality."

Recently, Ilona Maher told a NBC 7 in San Diego: "People are always like 'Oh you're an influencer' and I'm like 'No, no, no, I'm an athlete who happens to create content online.'"

Ilona Maher: Role model for younger female athletes

Ilona Maher also takes stands against online trolls. Earlier this month in an Instagram post titled "jUsT iGnOrE tHe hAtErS", Maher responded to a comment criticizing her Body Mass Index (BMI) with a sharp, detailed retort backed with stats.

"Female athletes get a lot of negative and mean comments constantly," Michael Maher said.

Mieneke Maher said her daughter's approach to trolls, and the body positivity she presents daily, haven't gone unnoticed. She's become a loud, welcoming voice and role model for younger female athletes.

"Her platform is one I’m very proud of," Mieneke Maher said. "It’s not just women’s empowerment, she’s empowering young girls who don’t have power yet, to not look down on themselves. I really like that."

Mieneke Maher told one anecdote about how a mother reached out to her and explained the dramatic difference Ilona Maher made on her daughter.

"A mom texted me personally and said, 'You have no idea the effect your daughter has had on the physical and mental health of my child who is tall and big-boned. Because of your daughter, she is feeling good in her skin.' I thought that was beautiful," Mieneke Maher said.

In emailed responses to the Free Press, Emilie Bydwell, the U.S women's rugby sevens coach, has been impressed with how Ilona Maher "has gone about becoming a star."

"I have seen often that the person that is put on social media is not the person that you interact with everyday, but that is not the case with (Maher). She is authentic, honest, and hilarious," Bydwell said. "She is showing the world how important is to be yourself, take pride in that and own it because that is what makes each person special.

"I think her ability to communicate how she owns and maximizes her physical body to be a World Class athlete is important along with the fact that she can be more than an athlete, that aspect only makes up a piece of her identity.  I think she's a fantastic role model and ... we are thankful to have her representing and growing rugby," Bydwell added. 

Ilona Maher returns from devastating injury suffered in 2023

Last March during a training session against a men's team, Ilona Maher collided with another player, leaving the 27-year-old severely injured. Maher broke her fibula and dislocated her tibia, according to her parents. Mieneke Maher, a nurse, flew out to stay with her daughter for two weeks immediately following the injury.

"That was a very bad injury. She was very scared from that, but she was motivated by that and worked the recovery," Michael Maher said.

The recovery time was long and arduous; Ilona Maher was expected to miss the remainder of the 2023 season, but returned ahead of schedule to help Team USA claim gold at the Pan American Games.

Bydwell wasn't surprised Maher would work her way back into top form.

"I never had any doubt that Lo would recover, she is committed to this team and her role in us bringing home a medal," Bydwell said. "We have an excellent performance staff that worked with her to ensure that she was getting what she needed medically and physically.  She trusted the process with them, exhibited both work ethic and patience and now we get to see her to what she does best — perform."

Ilona Maher's impact for Team USA for Paris Olympics

Team USA is gunning to reach the podium in Paris. And Maher, a bruising and fast center for the squad, is a "critical member" of the team, Bydwell said.

"She is a world class player that has speed, power and rugby understanding," Bydwell said.

The squad's current style is one of "street ball," according to Bydwell. Rugby sevens games are uptempo and not long affairs: Teams play two seven-minute halves on a 70-by-100-meter field size.

"We are direct, dynamic and look to promote continuity — Ilona ignites this by getting on the front foot, beating or driving through defenders and linking up with her teammates who are in support," Bydwell said. "She also plays a major role for us defensively, with her ability to cover space quickly and tackle effectiveness.

"Both on the field and off, (Maher) leads with her actions and is always the person to be empowering those around her to be themselves and express their strengths."

While the goal is to medal, anything can happen in rugby sevens.

"They definitely think they can (medal), I know they can," Michael Maher said. "The issue, of course, it’s a rugby ball and it bounces in funny directions sometimes." 

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.