Eventually, she took a breath. Joy had left her disheveled, a rare state for a woman whose life plays out on social media, often through clever videos. But she wasn’t a star Tuesday night. She was a captain, the leader of the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team. If anyone ever dared to doubt her priorities, Maher became more than an athletic content creator Tuesday night at Stade de France, more than a social media maven TikTok-ing into flimsy fame.
You can consider her an influencer, but first you must refer to her by a title that motivates her the most: winner.
With a heart-stopping finish, the United States needed every second to defeat Australia, 14-12, in the bronze medal game. It ended with Alex “Spiff” Sedrick scoring on a long try as time expired and then putting a kick through the uprights to clinch the first rugby sevens Olympic medal in American history.
“I mean, I’ll give my firstborn child to Spiff,” Maher said.
Maher is the one we’ll remember, but Sedrick was the hero. That’s rugby. It’s a tough, fast, physical team game that isn’t over even when it should be.
In the sevens variation of the sport, the competition is a short, 15-minute test of tenacity. Maher has created a platform with millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok because of her humorous videos, vibrant personality and candor. But she sets herself apart with vulnerability, never shying from any topic, including how she learned to appreciate her body.
She’s strong, muscular and fierce. She’s silly, too. She’s just Ilona, a rugby star with a following and a mission to welcome others to her sport. During this Olympic run, she befriended Jason Kelce, the recently retired Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman. He wore a shirt with a repeated pattern of Maher’s face and the American flag Tuesday, copying from the Maher family wardrobe. With Kelce as a hype man and the team making history with an unforgettable final play, the sport has an opportunity to grow its popularity.
“We wanted to do this to show what rugby could be in America,” Maher said. “And we had to prove our worth because America loves medals. They love winning, and it was really important for us to do this to show that we can be something and to get other young girls to aspire to do this.”
Maher admitted to feeling pressure. She talked with a sports psychologist throughout this run, trying to remain centered.
Her online persona had helped her become one of the more recognizable American faces at an Olympics full of superstar talent.
She has an addictive charm. Maher, a 27-year-old from Burlington, Vt., played college rugby at Quinnipiac and graduated with a nursing degree. She played for the U.S. team three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, but she came to Paris anointed an athlete to watch. Despite all her charisma, she was concerned about meeting expectations.
“I stayed centered by knowing I’m not alone out there,” Maher said. “I play a team sport, and that’s what makes it special. If I’m not on my best game, I know somebody else might be on their best game. I think that makes me feel grounded because, I mean, I knocked the ball on there, I missed the tackle there. But it’s not just about you, and I need to remember that because I put it all on myself sometimes. Being on a team, though, is really awesome.”
Without Sedrick, Maher wouldn’t be able to celebrate. A gymnastics coach gave Sedrick the nickname “Spiff” when she was younger because she had a spiffy energy about her. The name has stuck. Sedrick prefers “Spiff” to “Alex.” After completing a full-field, walk-off try, she can go by any name she wishes.
“One minute for the rest of her life,” teammate Kristi Kirshe marveled. “That’s a life-changing moment for all of us and for rugby in America.”
Maher invited as many people as she could to rugby sevens. The team made the most of the attention. Considering that Maher was able to elevate interest before the United States stepped onto a medal podium, you can expect her to leverage this breakthrough in a most incredible — and entertaining — way.
“So I think people come to the Olympics like, ‘Okay, I’m going to make something myself,’ and I do that as well. But I did it by just being myself, and that’s who I am,” Maher said. “So I think it’s like really being authentic because people can tell that, and I think people really resonate with it. But there’s a lot of pressure now. … That’s in our culture of, you know, I have this pressure now to do everything right and to want to say the right thing. So I am nervous in that way, and I am trying to protect myself in that way as well.”
Eventually, she will get comfortable with this new level of stardom.
Before Tuesday, some may have separated the athlete and influencer. For certain, they have merged now. Maher is one spectacular, interest-generating machine, and unlike Olympians who see their celebrity vanish, she’s not going to fade away.
