BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Ilona Maher of Burlington joined the shortlist of Vermonters who have won a medal at the Summer Olympics a few weeks ago. She helped the U.S. women’s rugby team win its first Olympic medal in a thrilling last-second victory over Australia. On Saturday, she celebrated with her hometown!
Several hundred people gathered in Battery Park on Saturday morning to welcome the bronze medalist to the city. Family and friends, former coaches and teachers, and athletes of all ages had the opportunity to view the medal.
Ilona says she will take a little breather before resuming her work on the court, but she still has a lot planned in the sport, starting with a fairly big tournament next year in England, while also keeping the door open for an Olympic return on home soil in four years.
“I’m definitely not going to play for a while, but it’s cool to get so many new opportunities and offers through social media,” Maher said of her future plans. “I think we’ll use some of those to expand my reach outside of rugby. But then there’s a 15s World Cup coming up that I’d love to try my luck at. I also think it would be great to play in the Olympics in my own country. I think four years is a long time, but it would definitely be something I’d want to do and I think I can do it. I think I’d still be at a top level to do that, but we’ll see.”
“She’s already done a lot for the development of women’s rugby,” added Ilona’s father, Mike. “After Tokyo, a lot of college women’s programs reported an increase in the number of people coming here to experience the sport because of her. I think when colleges report their results now, they’ll see a huge increase in the number of women and men interested in rugby, and that will be a real explosion for the game. I wouldn’t mind being in LA in 2028, and I hope to see a lot of rugby by then.”
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