This ‘Wicked’-Coded Green Cut-Out Two-Piece Ilona Maher Wore in Bellport, NY Is on Sale Now

SI Swimsuit just dropped 18 brand new images from the Olympian’s September digital issue cover shoot with Ben Watts.

Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bellport, New York. Swimsuit by Haus of Pink Lemonaid. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande might be “Defying Gravity,” but Ilona Maher is defying stereotypes with every new venture, press appearance and social media post. The Olympic rugby player, who brought home Team USA’s first bronze medal at the Paris Games this year, went viral for her messaging around that time how women really can do it all. The 28-year-old is constantly proving she can be a strong force on the rugby field but also feminine and elegant, and she’s constantly changing the narrative about what it means to be a female athlete.

In September she posed for the cover of SI Swimsuit’s digital issue, and the images and news practically broke the internet. In honor of her phenomenal run on Dancing With the Stars, we dropped an additional, unreleased 18 images from her photo shoot with Ben Watts on Fire Island Beach in Bellport, NY for the finale yesterday. And, to no one’s surprise, the Vermont native looks perfect. We’re still thinking about this gorgeous green Riot Swim set.

Riot Swim Cairo Top and Bixi Bottom, $44 in “Bermuda” (riotswim.com)

Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bellport, New York. Swimsuit by Riot Swim. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

This beautiful vibrant Wicked-coded set features cheeky tie-side string bottoms and a super cool keyhole cut-out top with a stylish matching green O-ring detail and halter-neck straps. And, the best part is both pieces are on sale now. Grab your bikini at the link above, or shop more at riotswim.com.

While we’re impressed with her moves, runner-up status and improvement on the show, and utterly obsessed with her friendship with partner Alan Bersten, we are most in awe of the impact she had on an entire generation of young women watching the reality TV series.

“I definitely want to continue my body appreciation message. I think my new goal for this is to show that all body types can dance and, you know, express themselves out there through dance and feel, you know, sexy and beautiful when you’re out on the dance floor,” Maher shared ahead of Season 33, and we can confidently say she met her goal and more. “I don’t think you’ll see a lot of my body types doing the Tango or the Rumba, the Cha-Cha. So I’m nervous because I don’t know how well I’ll do, but I think seeing my body type move in that way just shows all sorts of body types can do so many different things.”