Ilona Maher’s Latest Admission Just Made Her SI Swimsuit Runway Appearance More Impressive

The Olympian had an untimely visitor during Swim Week, but that didn’t stop her from strutting her stuff on the runway.

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

It turns out Ilona Maher had an untimely visitor arrive just in time for the SI Swimsuit Runway Show at Swim Week in Miami, Fla.—but that didn’t stop her from dominating the catwalk.

The Olympian, rugby superstar and SI Swimsuit favorite, having made her debut as a digital cover star in Sept. 2024 in Bellport, N.Y., before returning in 2025 for a tropical photo shoot in Bermuda, shared a video to Instagram this week where she revealed a surprising truth: she had her period while strutting her stuff down the runway.

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A post shared by Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher)

Appropriately captioning the video clip, “I applaud myself,” Maher lip-synced along to the classic Disney tune “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan while dancing for the camera. Text written over the clip read, “Men think they’re tough but they’ll never do Miami Swim Week wearing only bikinis while on their period like I did.”

For the post, the Olympian wore an all-white ensemble, which was applause-worthy on its own, given the circumstances. Consisting of a tube top-style, button-up top and matching trousers, she accessorized with a couple of necklaces, stacked bangle bracelets and sparkling earrings.

Her hair and makeup were also gorgeous, with the superstar option for a classic pop of red on her lips, as well as rosy cheeks and plush eyelashes. Her brunette locks were left down, curling carefree onto her shoulders.

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A post shared by Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher)

And you better believe her comment section was filled with fans, followers and her fellow SI Swimsuit models who were all ready to heap some well-earned praise on the athlete:

“👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼,” Denise Bidot applauded.

“🔥🔥🔥 hell yeah!” Penny Lane added.

“Just goes to show how women are unstoppable 👏,” the official account for Barbie added.

“‘Anything you can do I can do bleeding’ 🎶,” one fan humorously concluded.

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A post shared by Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher)

As mentioned above, Maher walked in the SI Swimsuit Runway Show during Swim Week in Miami, Fla., and her performance was truly top-tier—but what else could you possibly expect from this superstar?!

Maher rocked the catwalk in two separate stunning looks: the first was a green patterned one-piece from Matte Collection featuring a criss-cross front design for a perfect plunge. She struck a strong pose at the end of the runway for this outfit, flexing and showing the world exactly what “Beauty, Beast, Brains” is all about.

For her second walk, she switched things up with a western twist, donning an itty-bitty red string bikini by Heavy Manners, accessorizing further with a couple of stacked belts to add a unique flair to the final look.

Overall, Maher continues to be an incredible inspiration for fans everywhere, showing us all that we can indeed do anything—even if Aunt Flo decides to make an uninvited stop in town.

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