Ilona Maher and Georgie Perris-Redding Model String Bikinis in Relatable Video

The two athletes proved why string bikinis are the go-to style every summer.

Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Tropic of C. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Professional rugby superstars Ilona Maher and Georgie Perris-Redding are as relatable as they are stunning in Maher’s latest Instagram post. (Celebrities: they're just like us!)

The 2024 SI Swimsuit digital cover model took to social media this week to gift her 5.1 million Instagram followers with a video of herself and Perris-Redding standing on the grass, posing in their respective trendy bikinis. Perris-Redding sported a chocolate brown string bikini, while Maher donned a medium-coverage black string bikini with a tie-front.

Check out Maher’s Instagram video here.

Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Overtop of the video, which humorously featured Lana Del Rey’s song “Young and Beautiful,” Maher wrote, “Hottest and youngest we’ll ever be and we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere.” The athlete also joked in the caption that she and Perris-Redding were getting more action from bugs than from people, courtesy of their location. Maher can likely relate to this feeling of FOMO, as she grew up in a somewhat small town herself—but then again, her love for her hometown is well-documented.

“What’s awesome is being one of three Olympians [from Burlington, Vt.]. I got to meet the other rower Olympian recently. It just means a lot to me [coming] from a town like this that shows support,” the 28-year-old athlete said in 2024 when visiting her hometown in Vermont after securing a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Reflecting on what she loves most about her hometown, she added, “I always just loved walking the farmer’s market. I don’t often buy things, so I just want to walk there. Would love to stop and get some Myer’s Bagels. They are the bagel cafe on North [Avenue]. And I put a call out for Cabot cheese because I really want some of that.”

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A post shared by Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher)

A Vermont-native-turned-California resident, Maher is now living in a state that’s not only on the opposite side of the country from her hometown, but one that also has an opposite lifestyle.

And her move to California may not have produced many results in the dating realm just yet, but it’s certainly a bustling location. All that to say, perhaps this Olympian’s future soulmate is right under her nose in California when she’s not in the “middle of nowhere”—that is, after she sifts through some not-so-successful dating attempts, which she’s previously discussed on her podcast.

“I have shot some shots. A lot have landed. Recently, I shot a shot at this guy that I used to see, and very weird reception. I tried to shoot. It was absolutely denied,” Maher shared on the House of Maher podcast. “And I’m kind of getting more okay with rejection in a way. It’s not a reflection on me. [...] I want somebody who I feel secure in.”

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